Performers who received very high marks in their 2011 Drama solo performance and Theatre Studies monologue performance examinations last October, auditioned in January of this year for Top Class selection. Students from all school systems were represented in the three Top Class Drama and two Top Class Theatre Studies concerts, with the following breakdown:

Top Class Drama

• Government: 9 (7)
• Independent: 12 (15)
• Catholic: 6 (7)

2012 = 27 performers. 2011 = 29 performers (in brackets).

Top Class Theatre Studies

• Government: 3 (3)
• Independent: 9 (11)
• Catholic: 7 (6)

2012 = 19 performers. 2011 = 20performers.

I attended two of the three Top Class Drama concerts, both on Thursday 10 May.

Highlights in Drama, Concert 1:

• Alexander Gay (Baldrick), Damascus College, Mount Clear
• Chloe Smith (The Diva), The Peninsula School, Mount Eliza

Highlights in Drama, Concert 2:

• Izaac Marrinan (The King of Horror), Ringwood Secondary College, Ringwood

Last year I listed eight performers from the two Top Class Drama concerts I attended as highlights, but this year only three. This is a significant drop in what I believe are performers who stand out from the rest in their respective Top Class Drama concerts. There is no doubt every one of the student performers did a fantastic job last year with their solo performance exams just to get a perfect score, much less beat others at a Top Class audition for a place in these concerts. But there was something lacking this year.

Concert 1 was reasonably strong overall with a few standouts, above. However, Concert 2 was disappointing as a whole; many performers seemed to lack presence and energy on stage. I have taught VCE Drama since its inception 20 years ago and have had eight of my students in Top Class Drama and two in Top Acts in the past six years (with many more invited to audition), so I think I can speak with some authority on this topic just in case I get criticised myself for being critical of the standard in Concert 2 (but you are more than welcome to do this in the comments below, if you wish).

On a positive note, there were numerous examples of outstanding object transformation this year. I’ll blog about how objects were cleverly transformed in a separate post on The Drama Teacher coming up soon, because this deserves a conversation of its own. There were also wonderful examples of regional accents used with good effect to enhance a performer’s stage presence and believability (even a non-naturalistic performance needs character believability to varying degrees or the audience will not accept what is delivered to them). On the flip side, there were perhaps even more examples of objects that were not transformed effectively or barely at all and a few regional accents that unfortunately missed the mark.

There were also a couple of examples of rather large set pieces. I think it is fair to say the audience accepts and appreciates the performers need to use microphones in a Top Class concert, that the performance space is big at the Melbourne Recital Centre and that any pre-recorded audio (soundscapes, sound effects etc) will not be operated by the student at Top Class. However, these should be the only differences between a Top Class performance and the examination performance the previous October. When a Top Class audience sees huge set pieces being brought in by stagehands, we begin to question how the performer brought these items into the examination room without assessor assistance, as per the examination rules? Either this needs to be rectified for future years in order to maintain the integrity of these academic showcases, or the compere (Chief Assessor) should state these items were indeed brought into the exam room by the performer, before or after the Top Class performance. A simple clarification is all that is required

I also noted a few instances of sections of the audience this year applauding before the actual conclusion of a solo performance. This is often indicative of how a solo is constructed by the student. The end should be clear, even to an audience unfamiliar with the content, whether stillness and silence is employed or not. Constructing a high standard solo requires much skill and it was not a good sign on Thursday when some in the audience misread a solo’s ending on several occasions. Having said that, for audiences full of students, it was great to see such respect for the student performers on stage. One could hear a pin drop in the quieter moments and enjoy loud laughter with those around them at moments of hilarity in the more comic performances. Good work by the supervising teachers, too.

I still believe Top Class Drama and Theatre Studies concerts are fantastic professional learning for teachers and one of the best academic experiences for students each year. To see such talent on stage is often awe-inspiring. On that note, the best of the best from all the Top Class performing arts concerts will be chosen to perform at the annual Top Acts concert in two weeks time on Friday 25 May at The Palais Theatre, St Kilda. Get along to the big gig if you can!

accent

noun |ˈakˌsent|

a distinctive mode of pronunciation of a language, esp. one associated with a particular nation, locality, or social class

I wonder how popular is the use of accents in drama/theatre classes? I recall the good old days (or are they still with us?) where students in drama classes were so consumed with American television as part of their popular culture, American accents found their way into nearly every classroom drama (okay if you’re teaching in an American school!).

More importantly, how many drama teachers have the skills to effectively teach accents for drama classes and/or school theatre productions? Is accent teaching available in pre-service teacher education or only available in some performing arts courses preparing tertiary students for acting and theatre as an industry?

I certainly have had no formal training in teaching accents and know of only one colleague or friend who has been an accent coach in a past life before drama teaching (maybe I just lead a sheltered life?!). I often feel inadequate as an educator when it comes to students wanting accents for a character in drama. But alas, this is the age of YouTube which is a wonderful resource for accents. Students happily find themselves any number of YouTube clips by people all across the world speaking in particular accents for others doing research. Accents on audio CDs are a little hard to find, but I have previously blogged about one resource here. These days I assume students find places to download accents, also.

As I discovered today with Year 9 Drama students, the ability for a student of drama to acquire or mimic an accent for a drama performance is only part of the task. The other part involves maintaining it throughout the entire performance. I think the old rule never attempt an accent unless you can do it properly applies here, too.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who actively encourages or teaches accents in the drama/theatre classroom and how students respond to it? Any funny stories involving drama students using accents? Any accent resources worth sharing with others?

Hot nominations include Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman.

Best Musical nominations this year are Leap of Faith, Newsies, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Once.

Best Play nominations for 2012 are Clybourne Park, Other Desert Cities, Peter and the Starcatcher and Venus in Fur.

With 11 nominations, Once out-nominated  The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess revival and Nice Work If You Can Get It, both receiving 10 nominations.

Australian entertainer Hugh Jackman will receive a Special Tony Award at this year’s ceremony on June 10, again hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.  Jackman will be honoured for “his contributions to the Broadway community, both as a performer and humanitarian; his tireless dedication to charitable works of many types; and his personal generosity of spirit”.

Part theatre, part film, part installation, Alma Mater’s audience arrive one by one in a life-sized children’s bedroom and are then given an iPad with headphones where they are taken into the world of a little girl. The show consists of eight on-screen characters and contains an original score, but no dialogue. Audience members roam the set of the young girl’s bedroom as the video interacts with spectator and stage set. At only 20 minutes long, Alma Mater is not for the faint-hearted.

Over the centuries, the craft of acting and the theatre have developed many superstitions, from the well known to the obscure.

Did you know many people believe…

• it is bad luck to wish an actor “good luck”
• a theatre’s ghost/s perform their own play on Monday nights
• many theatres leave a light on stage for the ghost/s to perform
• it is bad luck to mention the title or lines from Macbeth before a show
• whistling on stage is bad luck
• dramas involving peacock feathers bring bad luck
• there is superstition about using real money in a stage performance
• having three lit candles on stage brings bad luck
• wearing green on stage is unlucky
• flowers given to a leading lady after the final performance should be from a graveyard
• it is bad luck to have mirrors on stage
• it is bad luck to speak the play’s last line before opening night
• real flowers used on stage is bad luck
• a performer should never clean their make-up box
• opening a show on a Friday night brings bad luck
• a bad dress rehearsal means a good opening night

If you would like to read more about these theatrical superstitions and the reasoning behind them, check out the websites below.

Theatrical Superstitions: Steppenwolf Theatre

Listverse: Top 10 Theatre Superstitions

Wikipedia: Theatrical Superstitions

Louis E Catron: Theatrical Superstitions and Saints