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While some may think that Dramatic Arts is a
“pushover”, it is in fact a subject
that requires much dedication, hard work, understanding
and creativity.
Over the course of three years we learn about
the history of theatre, about different people
who have made an impact through and on theatre,
about our bodies and their abilities and, of course,
we broaden our cultural knowledge by reading plays
that had an impact on the times in which they
were written.
And then we have our end of year practical exams
(a.k.a “Theme Programmes”) in which
groups from each grade put on a themed performance
which becomes more and more demanding from Grade
10 through to Grade 12. Much blood, sweat, tears,
time and effort goes into these and the performances
are a pleasure to watch at the end.
Dramatic Arts lessons at Rhenish are always enormous
fun, especially when our teachers go to the effort
of organising special classes and workshops for
dance, clowning and improvisation. We also go
on various cultural outings to the theatre and
to art exhibitions, which always prove to be very
enjoyable. Such an outing took place on the 8th
of February, when Ms Elliot took a group of matrics
to the Spier Contemporary Art Exhibition.
All girls wanting to
attend the 2-day Gr 11 Drama Festival at Artscape
in March MUST see that their registration forms
are returned by Wednesday 30 January at the very
latest. Parents of boarders may fax their permission
slips to 021 887 8090, if they wish.
Mark the replies: FOR ATTENTION, MS E. HYLAND.
On 4 February 300 lucky Rhenishers saw Roy Sergeant's
Merchant of Venice at the Maynardville
Open-air Theatre in Wynberg.
The Second World War setting used by Sergeant
worked well, serving to amplify the play's themes
of racial prejudice, and religious intolerance.
And the performance was top-notch: the cast
was uniformly excellent, but interpretations that
particularly impressed were Jeremy Crutchley's
masterfully subtle portrayal of Shylock, Scott
Sparrow's rumbustious Graziano and Daron Araujo's
outrageously funny Lancelot Gobbo, the clown.
The standing ovation at the end said it all: we could not have had a more magical theatrical experience!
Our next theatre outing is to see Red George, at the Baxter’s Studio Theatre on Monday 18 February.
Adapted from the diaries of Rev. George Barker
of the London Missionary Society, who came to
South Africa in 1815, Red George encapsulates
local events of 200 years ago, and throws South
Africa's current situation in stark perspective.
Peter Krummeck plays 17 different characters
in this pacy one-hander, which has received a
double nomination for the Fleur de Cap Awards
to be presented next month for Best New Indigenous
Production, and Best Performance.
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