Year 11 and 12 Drama students recently attended NESA’s OnSTAGE, an exhibition of Performance and Individual Project Excellence from the 2024 HSC Cohort. IGS received a total of 35 Nominations for Drama in a class of 24 students. So our students were well prepared to see a high standard.
Anna M wrote enthusiastically about the Design and Critical Analysis projects and the future of theatre after looking holistically at her HSC experience with last year’s cohort.
“The Seymour Centre is a pillar of Sydney theatre. From showing productions by Sport for Jove to hosting IGS school musicals, it has facilitated a lot of current Australian theatre. However, when I walked in on that day, I didn’t see the current Australian theatre, but its future. In the sea of colourful hairstyles, traditional uniforms and messy backpacks, lies the next generation of creatives that will tell the Australian story. The question that remains is simple: what story will we tell?
“Climb through the building and you will discover a gallery of sorts, comprising the individual major works composed by last year’s HSC cohort. Immediately, you can catch a glimpse of their psyche. The costumes are elegant, detailed and, most importantly, full of life. The pitches are bold and seek to reinvent traditional narratives, a call from a generation filled to the brim with potential and an impulse towards change.
“However, these vibrant and escapist themes are thoroughly subverted through the set design for The Visitor. The scene is dark, industrial and decaying. This is in high contrast with the play’s lead character, Claire, a multimillionaire who returns to her hometown. The unique set design shows the dilapidated state of the town and uses its industrial design to open up new performance areas for the actors, for example, the bridges around the space.
“There were four group projects, three monologues, a moved reading and a video-drama, each with themes ranging from the housing crisis, mental health, environmental degradation and the Emu War of 1932.
As we were all dismissed and left to go our separate ways, the low hum of chatter had ceased to be about whatever Valentine’s Day fuss had occurred, but about what we had seen that day. Whether you loved or hated it, it was certainly all that could be talked about. Walking out of that theatre, the narrow views of our worlds had been expanded by the last few hours of theatre, spurring on dreams of upcoming actors and theatre-makers. After the thrilling and diverse performances and works I had seen that day, there was no doubt in my mind that the future of Australian theatre was in good hands.”
Thank you to Rita Morabito Director of Dramatic Arts for organising this excursion for our Drama students. Her dedication and passion for theatre continue to inspire the next generation of performers, designers and storytellers at IGS.