Learning 12 Jul 2017

Site specific theatre at TK

By Tonia Whyte Potter-Mal, TK PYP Coordinator
Photograph by CIS Communications

TK grade 6 students recently read and rehearsed BFG the Play by Roald Dahl. Once they finished reading, they were left ‘wanting more' from their literary experience, and sought to go beyond a traditional performance on stage. So after some discussion we decided to adopt a form of theatre called site-specific theatre - very different from standard theatrical performances as there is no physical stage separating actors from the audience.

Our student actors decided to perform across multiple locations on campus, including the foyer and outdoor discovery centre, for an intimate audience of parents and students. The preparation for these performances was critical.

Students took on the role of character(s), interpreted their experiences and devised a whole new theme about what happened once they 'jumped out of the story'. Then they connected their new extended story to some outdoor locations on campus where they could act out the performance.

On performance day, the audience was mobile, guided between performance sites, so they could watch the actors as they shared different aspects of their story.

The intimate and changing setting demonstrated a really authentic way for our grade 6’s to step into the lives of story characters. Bravo to our creative student actors who found a great way to stretch their creativity and put together a really impressive performance!

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