Performing Arts
01. Year 8 Theatre: Tableau vivant
The Semester 1 8U Theatre classes are completing their first unit, exploring the genre of ‘tableau vivant’. This past week saw them take to the stage to present their ‘living pictures’.
Students individually researched this historic theatre ‘tableau vivant’ genre, selected paintings portraying different amounts of people, analyzed the possible costumes needed from one selected painting, and then matched appropriate background music. After forming a performance group, the group collaborated to select one painting and brought that painting to life on stage.
To enhance the performance, students were to enter the stage in character, move about and interact on stage through mime before taking their positions for the tableau, freezing in place for up to two minutes.
Performances took place last week in the sixth-floor Theatre ‘black box’ space with classes 8I, 8S and UISG staff as an appreciative audience, admiring the fact that our Year 8 actors could showcase their strategies to overcome distractions through their performance.
02. Year 10 Theatre: Tadashi Suzuki Physical Theatre
Last Friday the Year 10 Performing Arts: Theatre students had their public demonstration for their Tadashi Suzuki Modern Japanese Physical Theatre experience in the Admin Hall, also known as a “STOMPING SHAKU HACHI.” This performance consisted of the “10 Ways of Walking,” a slow-motion standing statues called a “10 Tekka 10,” and the “Four Basic Positions.”
In Year 10 Theatre, the focus is on “Theatre Throughout the Ages: Research, Reflections, and Performance.”
Thinking about how “modern theatre is an amalgam (combination) of aesthetically different forms, expressive styles, and interpretations of theatre communicated from the cultures of the past – then changed for its current audience” as their Statement of Inquiry. This means that we have started with a very modern theatre style and will then combine it with a very ancient play, and see how the forms will combine, change, enhance-illustrate the script, and bring this old story into a modern age – audience.
The Year 10s focused on transforming themselves by use of physical theatre to push themselves into a new form of movement, while driving themselves to a higher level of body awareness and control. The Tadashi Suzuki method required the students to have strong bodies, strong voices and/or breathing, a strong centre (or core strength for stamina). In order to be able to cope with physical stress and maintain a high level of energy and commitment when performing.
Students were to: rehearse, learn, and perform, maintain good participation, focus, active listening, mime, and accepting of offers from their director. Participate in an in-class and public performance using the above skills.
In addition to the “onstage” duties, the Year 10s also had to do their reflective writing on their Arts Process Journal. This had to include a chronological narration of their experience doing this theatre form from beginning until their performance, with various guiding questions about their self-performance (abilities), their group cooperation – ensemble skills, and various IB MYP Approaches to Learning Skills throughout the process.
Congratulations to our six Year 10 Theatre students for their excellent first show of the school year!
These great new honed skills will be added into their Ancient Greek Tragedy “The Trojan Women” by Euripides once we all return from October Break. We hope to have left the audience wanting more from Year 10 Theatre Troupe!
We look forward to giving the UISG Community the gift of entertainment once more in November!
Miss Jennifer Lazareck
Secondary Performing Arts: DP & MYP Theatre
Year 10 Theatre
–
Mr Malcolm Mawhinney
Head of Performing Arts (K-12)
Secondary Performing Arts: DP & MYP Music / MYP Theatre
Year 8 Theatre
