SENIOR DRAMA STUDENTS TRAVEL TO STRATFORD AND SHAW

Haley Snow, Jessica Vaillancourt and Hanah Itner travelled with Ms. Short to the Stratford Shakespearean Festival on Saturday, Oct. 17,2009 and then travelled to Shaw Festival the following Sunday.  These two fun-filled theatre days were sponsored by the Stratford and Shaw Festivals and involved not only backstage tours of both facilities, but workshops with professional actors and a play. 

The students were impressed by the scope and scale of the two Festivals.  Getting behind the scenes to see how things worked was very eye-opening. 

"The stage combat workshop was a lot of fun, " said 17 year old Haley.  "We learned how to punch, slap, kick and fall down safely on stage."

The students also had a chance to see Macbeth, which was set in 1960's colonial Africa.   

"I had read the play in Grade 11," said 12th grader Hanah. "And this was a really interesting take on it.  I loved it!" 

The play seen at Shaw was Brief Encounters, three Noel Coward one acts that were put together with amazing set design and transitions.

"What a wonderful opportunity for our students," said drama teacher, Ms. Short.  "They got a chance to really see how a theatre operates, plus they had the opportunity to meet and interact with professional actors.  The shows were both excellent - we had a great weekend!"

SALLY AT THE COP SHOP

SLHS's Drama Department is at it again...we are eagerly rehearsing for the District Sears Drama Festival which will take place at Welland Centennial High School from March 1-5, 2010.  This year's play focuses on the hapless Sally, who "accidentally" steals some items from mall and lands herself in a whole heap of trouble.  Colourful characters populate this farce that shows the lighter side of law enforcement.  Stay tuned for updates, new photos and dates for our performances at SLHS.

Marshall Price, Lily Davis and Torin Boyle in last year's "Stuck"

...Drama shots of the past

The Grade 9 programme focuses on building basic drama skills - mime, movement and storytelling.  The big draw of the grade 9 class is the opportunity to perform for an audience in their own original production.  Previous productions have included Minor Niners, which explored the trials and tribulations of the first day of grade 9 and The Field Trip, an exploration of a field trip to a button factory gone wrong.

The grade 10 drama programme focuses on developing comedy and improvisational skills.  Units include mask, including mask making, improvisation, commedia dell'arte (a traditional masked Italian improv style) and scene study and/or production of Canadian plays.  Needless to say, there are a lot of laughs in the Grade 10 class as students try out new skills and find their funny bones.

Grade 11 drama is an exploration of many different styles of drama, including turn of the century realism (think Shaw and Chekhov) as well as delving deeply into acting technique.  Students get the opportunity to work with the technical aspects of theatre as well, such as lighting, sound, costume and set design.

Grade 12 is the crowning glory of the drama programme.  In this very student driven class, students work on Shakespearean monologues, Canadian scene studies and they get to act and/or direct in their own one act plays.  Students have an opportunity to learn about audition technique and how to write a professional resume.  The Grade 12 class allows for huge scope for imagination and creativity.