Out of the shadows and onto the stage – St Mary’s Drama

In Term 1, our St Mary’s Drama students enjoyed a day at the Malthouse Theatre viewing the performance, Nosferatu. Inspired by the 1922 silent film of the same name, this Gothic Theatre performance captured the imagination of the students as they were enthralled by this contemporary Australian interpretation of the vampire story. As well as analysing and evaluating this performance, the St Mary’s Drama students also used this experience and what they learned to inspire their own self-devised ensemble performances.

Over several weeks this semester, our St Mary’s Drama students were hard at work researching, improvising, scripting and rehearsing performances exploring themes of nightmares, fears and monsters. They created creepy characters and told terrifying tales delving into the historical and current monsters in film, literature, and contemporary society.

On May 10, all the Years 10, 11 and 12 Drama students presented their devised ensembles to family and friends at our St Mary’s Drama Night, filling the Marian Theatre with energy and emotion. It was a wonderful opportunity to see such talented young people working together, demonstrating a variety of expressive and performance skills.

Throughout the development process the students also developed key transferable skills like focus, adaptability, teamwork, problem-solving and communication which will support and stay with them into the future. Congratulations to all the students and a huge thank you to all the family, friends and staff who attended our St Mary’s Drama Night.

Mrs Lisa Darlow, Drama Teacher