The Secondary School’s recent production of Arabian Nights was a tour de force for our students, whether they participated on stage or backstage. Drama productions in general offer extraordinary multi-dimensional educational experiences that give students the opportunity to be involved in acting, music, puppetry, prop building, sound and lighting technology, poster design, make-up and working backstage. Such experiences not only involve learning certain skills, but also extend to the real-life lessons of discipline, responsibility to oneself and to others, and deadlines. This is one of the fundamental values of a theatre production. If an actor forgets a cue, everyone can suffer; if a lighting person forgets a cue it can cause a disaster; if the sound technician doesn’t show up, there may not be a show.


The audience may not see it, but a live performance is actually an unbelievably risky business where each person has to rely on another and no role can be fulfilled alone. The production of Arabian Nights was a huge success, and that success was the direct result of the responsible working relationships among all those who were involved. For those in the audience, that meant a smoothly run and unified production.


where students feel they can take risks, explore their characters and “play”. This sense of play is crucial to the creative process; imaginative play is a key factor in brain and body development in children of all ages. Humans have been naturally educating themselves through drama since the dawning of early civilization. Children learn and develop through role-playing. Play is natural to human growth and is found at the root of all sport, dance and movement.


The concept of teamwork is familiar to all those involved in sports. In dramatic productions, too, students function as a team, honing their skills and developing team spirit while working towards a common goal. In theatre the emphasis is on building a creative ensemble, which is the most exciting and challenging aspect of a theatre production. A space needs to be established


11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24