Year 8 & 9 Drama Excursion

On Wednesday the 22^nd of February Geelong High Schools year 8 and 9 Drama students travelled to Melbourne for a day of Drama fun! We started at the Channel next door to The Melbourne Arts Centre where we participated in two workshops with some incredible industry professionals. ‘Character Building’ and an ‘Introduction to Music’. In the afternoon, we travelled to the Princess Theatre to watch Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. We are fortunate to be supported by the Melbourne Arts Centre’s First Call Funds subsidy that assists schools who need a little extra support to ensure their students are gaining access to the performing arts. Below are some student reflections on the day.

Year 8 Drama – Tobi Haynes

Character Building Workshop

“The workshop was run by Tom and Alex. There were activities where we would think of an animal and walk like the animal we thought of, and then after a minute or two we had to kind of humanise the animal. We also had costumes could use and make a character from it. We made a character and then had to walk like that character and think of how that character would interact with other characters. After walking around like the characters, we made, we stood in a circle and Tom would walk around pretending to be a radio host and asked us questions and we had to answer them as our character. At the end a couple of people were on the stage with Tom and Alex and they would pretend that there was some kind of drama between two characters like in the old TV show Jerry Springer. I really enjoyed making the characters and walking around as them and interacting with other characters. I also liked watching the Jerry Springer act as it was really funny.”

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is about the journey Albus Potter (Harry’s second child) takes while growing up, and the role he and his best friend, Scorpius Malfoy (Draco’s son), play when dark forces, perhaps in league with Voldemort, once again threaten the fate of the planet. My favourite parts were when the dementors came down from the ceiling at the end of act 1, and the fight scene with Harry, Albus and Delphi.”

Year 9 Drama – Rhys Rantall

Introduction to Music

“I think most other students would happily take another visit to the Channel to try make some more complex tracks, I liked the fact we had the freedom of all the instruments we used and the opportunity to use vocals. Our instructor was very clear on how to use all the options and made everything easy to understand, I believe the way the class ran helped everyone boost their confidence and show their product to the audience. It was difficult to get used to the way the program worked but I would definitely take another visit”

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

“I loved the acting from all the actors, all the stage production and overall theatre ambience. The play has been making me debate whether I should watch the movies or not. Although I’ve never been a Harry Potter fan, this play has definitely got me wanting to see more.”