Head of Drama - Edition 13 - 2019

Term 3 saw the rehearsal and performance of the Year 11 SACE Stage 1 Production, Free or Fated. Written in 1996, funded by the South Australian Youth Arts Board, and performed by the now defunct Blitz Youth Arts at the Odeon Theatre on Norwood Parade, Free or Fated presented fascinating and comical insights into a range of philosophical positions. The 2019 Westminster School production saw the extension of a few of the characters’ stories, but over 90% of the text was the original. This is of some interest as the question as to what extent we are actually in control of our destiny remains open and a number of issues raised by the play remain as pertinent now as they were twenty three years ago!

This was also of interest to the cast in discoveries they made about the endurance of the conundrums presented by the play. It seems that while some things have changed dramatically, others have not changed much across the Boomer, Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z generations! The cast of Free or Fated did a remarkable job in presenting a play originally written for a cast of twenty eight with a class of thirteen Year 11 students. There were numerous outstanding performances by individuals and, as an ensemble, the class was faultless.

The remarkable culture that is Drama at Westminster was very much in evidence in the manner with which the students capably applied the skills they have learned over the years to stage this challenging play within a five week rehearsal period. This is, in fact, standard practice in Drama at Westminster, and is frequently commented on with amazement and admiration by teachers from other like schools and industry professionals alike. This is a great testament to the manner with which our Drama students approach the work. Simply, they are very professional!

The Year 8 to 10 2019 Junior Production, The Alchemist - A Souls Journey, will commence a week of auditions from Thursday 12 September. Based on Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece, the fable The Alchemist, this production requires a cast of very versatile young performers indeed. A fable about the pursuit of a dream, The Alchemist - A Souls Journey will be a very enjoyable and engaging theatre piece for all concerned. There will be more details soon.

John Doherty
Head of Drama