So, we have had a pretty busy term. The year 6’s had created their freeze-frames performance task and had the opportunity to practice reflecting on and evaluating their performances. We also assessed Criterion A – Knowledge and Understanding through a comprehension task followed by an oral presentation, where students read different pieces of information related to Mime and Pantomime and then taught the other students what they had learnt.

The year 7’s also had an opportunity to learn about a new topic related to Improv Theatre and then teach it to other students. Their oral presentation was also used to assess Criterion A. The students also had the opportunity to play some Theatresports rounds, where students would sit in groups and then each group is given a prompt like an opening line, or a closing line, or a title, or an emotion, and the students had to improvise for a minute. They really enjoy these sorts of activities.

So, Drama club has officially been running for a term now. The students have been coached through the process of creating story maps and brainstorming ideas under the chosen MYP Area of Interaction: Environments. Three students have also written three scripts, each with a different interpretation of ‘Environments’.

One script talks about time-travel and how environments look different over time and how we take a lot of things in our environment fore-granted. The second play focuses on the school environment and the opportunities it creates for students from poor families. The third play is a rather abstract approach to analysing an institution for treating mental illnesses, as a rather unfamiliar environment.

In the coming few weeks, auditions will take place so that we can start casting the roles. The next phase in drama club will focus on character-building skills, line-memorisation strategies and rehearsal techniques. The students seem very enthusiastic, and I am too!