As society shifts further away from face-to-face interactions in favour of the gratification of our screens and devices, how can actors and live performance play a vital role in reconnecting young people to their social relationships and responsibilities? In this subject, students work as actors to refine skills of expressive voice and movement. They learn and strengthen ensemble work, developing an appreciation of how a theatrical company collaborates to produce dramatic performance. Students explore and perform a series of play scripts written for teenagers, which deal with identity, inclusion, difference, equality and community. The student actors experiment with shaping a variety of characters and relationships in performance, in order to engage an audience and communicate dramatic meaning. Participants explore live performance from both sides of the limelight, viewing live theatre to experience professional acting from an audience’s point of view, as well as rehearsing, polishing and performing an extract of scripted drama for a peer audience.
Strength in Difference.
Exploring and responding: written response to live theatre
Presenting and performing scripted drama
A small group or individual polished performance of scripted drama, and written paragraphs analysing one actor’s use of dramatic languages to create character.
Ms Charlene McMenamin
cmcmenamin@mfac.edu.au
