By Lisa S., Drama Teacher
How do we tell stories onstage in a way that makes the most of the particular strengths of theatre as a medium?
This is the question that our Grade 11 and 12 theatre students have been exploring as they create unique pieces of theatre for the annual theatre showcase coming up on February 26.
Each grade level is exploring this question in a unique way. Grade 11’s are working in small groups to create a collaborative theatre performance inspired by a starting point. Some of these starting points include poetry, short films, historical artifacts, and music. Students have explored these starting points by creating “moments” of theatre. A “moment” is defined as a unit of theatrical time. What happens in a “moment” can be anything. Students have latched on to this idea and explored elements such as props, lighting, sound, and text. As they continued to explore, they then created their artistic intentions for their piece. Thinking purposefully about space, audience experience, and message, students have created artistic intentions that serve as their guide point. When students are unsure what to create next or how to structure their piece, they go back to their intention. In doing so, the Grade 11 students are creating meaningful works that are completely original and rooted in the theatrical experience.
The Grade 12 students are following a somewhat similar process, but doing it independently. Instead of picking a starting point to explore, the Grade 12’s have selected famous theatrical practitioners and are letting their works be inspired and guided by their practitioners’ work. This has led to unique discoveries and conversations about how theatre has been created and influenced throughout time and place. We have 4 grade 12 students performing this year and a guiding focus for them is that they are working knowing this is their last chance to perform on the YIS stage. The students have embraced their strengths as performers as well as challenging themselves creatively one last time.
Each grade has been able to explore the question of “How do we tell stories onstage in a way that makes the most of the particular strengths of theatre as a medium” to create memorable pieces that they are excited to share with the broader community. If you are interested in seeing unique pieces of theatre that will challenge your perceptions of what theatre can be, make sure to come out on February 26th. There will be 2 performances, one at 4:15 PM and one at 6:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.