One of the best compliments I have ever received from a student after attending the theatre was when a 17 year-old said to me the show we had just seen was better than any of the films she had seen in the past year. That’s a big call from a teenager! Television, computers and film seem to offer so much more than live theatre to the youth of today who often seem to be programmed only to enjoy seeing something if it is on a screen.

I tell my students that as good as film can be, it is a dead art. What they see has been filmed out of sequence in multiple locations over many weeks, months ago, and chopped up in the editing room. Actors receive an opportunity for many takes at various scenes, perfecting it until the content is acceptable. But the theatre is a living art. What a young person sees is alive on a stage only metres away in the same space. The actors must get it right on the night for the audience and there is no greater pressure and challenge than that.

In the theatre, audience members all have a slightly different perspective of the same action from different seats in the house. Some can see only parts of a stage set, while others may see lighting instruments as well and everyone has a different view. If one is fortunate to see the same show more than once (I’m no fanatic, but I’ll happily admit I saw the stage version of the musical Hairspray four times), then the joy is in understanding how no one stage performance is exactly the same .. but that reel of film is identical across the globe.

Drama students can gain so much valuable knowledge from attending live theatre, either with their teacher, parents or friends. The company is not important, it is the experience that matters most. A young person can only receive so much from reading about the theatre in a book, listening to their teacher in the classroom or even reading a play. There is no substitute for attending the theatre and no better method for a student to learn about the wonderful craft we teach.

Of significance for Australian drama teachers is that this conference will take place inside the school holiday break in all states and territories, with the exception of Queensland, where these dates represent the first school week of Term 3. So, for most drama and theatre teachers in Australia thinking of attending this fantastic event, hopefully your decision will be made a bit easier if you can disappear in school holidays. However, if you are in a position to sneak a bit of your Long Service Leave, hey its Paris, so this should be a no-brainer!

I have attended two IDEA World Congresses in the past – Bergen, Norway in 2001 and Ottawa, Canada in 2007. I can honestly say an IDEA World Congress is without question the best professional learning experience a drama/theatre teacher can have. To be in workshops and listen to speakers in drama education from across the globe is mind-blowing. As with most good conferences, networking opportunities in and around official sessions are just as valuable, so imagine making a bunch of international contacts in drama education!

Remember:

1. The portion of your trip used for the conference is tax deductible (check with your taxation agent)
2. If planning on using some school time to attend, let your employer know ASAP – you can always withdraw your leave application if you change your mind later
3. The conference is 18 months away, so start saving for your trip now!

Developed by Arts Victoria, the Victorian Government’s arts funding and policy body, Theatre Alive was established to fill a need in the market where lovers of independent theatre in and around Melbourne could find information on shows and upcoming attractions.

Most impressive on Theatre Alive’s website is a directory listing of nearly 200 independent theatre companies and artists. Each company is alphabetically sorted with an image and brief description about who they are, accompanied by relevant contact details. In case you thought that was impressive, how about another directory listing of 40 Melbourne venues for independent theatre, as well.

Most importantly, Theatre Alive’s main website section covers current and upcoming independent theatre shows in Melbourne, including necessary booking details. The average theatre goer can also publish their own review or check out links to independent theatre reviews in Melbourne’s daily press. There are also areas for news and employment, casting, training and professional development opportunities in the scene.

If you’re an independent theatre artist or company in Melbourne, your listing is free on the Theatre Alive website. As for drama and theatre teachers, whether you take the students or just visit independent theatre without them, Theatre Alive is a fantastic resource for you.

You should find it visually appealing, functional and easy to navigate. Various sections of the website are now easy to locate with information about the annual conference, other professional learning opportunities throughout the year, the Drama Victoria Committee of Management, resources, networking (Facebook page, teachers’ forum), MASK journal articles, upcoming theatre shows and more. You can now renew your membership online and purchase drama and theatre texts right from the website, as it should be.

All of Drama Victoria’s website functionality is administered from the Drama Victoria office in Abbotsford. It is the culmination of many months work by a number of people behind the scenes building databases, adding thousands of words of content and tweaking designs. As the current President of Drama Victoria, I am very proud of our association’s latest addition. I hope many of you find it a breath of fresh air.

Feel free to throw any feedback about Drama Victoria’s new website in the comments section below (positive or negative) and rest assured your comments will be passed on.

Of particular interest to readers of The Drama Teacher is the upcoming production of Random by British playwright debbie tucker green, suitable for Year 9-12 students. An edgy monodrama about the killing of a schoolboy, Random is one of the most exciting plays for young people to come out of Britain in recent years.

The House:Ed team have also put together an excellent education resource pack for teachers with background notes on the play, themes, curriculum links and numerous classroom activities for students before and after seeing the play.

Additional resources about Random can be found on another post on The Drama Teacher from January this year.

Random is playing at The Studio, Sydney Opera House, from May 17-20.

House:Ed is also offering a number of master classes for teachers in 2011.

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I’d be interested if any Victorian Drama teachers, who are members of Drama Vic, have any feedback or suggestions on Drama Victoria’s activities, conference or professional learning opportunities? Even though our PL program for 2011 is already set and published, there are tweaks that can still be made to make these experiences better for you. Also, ideas at this time can potentially be implemented in Drama Victoria’s 2012 professional learning program, which is of course planned the year before.

Good news coming up soon at Drama Vic! The association’s new website is nearing completion behind the scenes and will be on the web at the start of Term 2. The current website has been in need of a major overhaul for some time and Drama Victoria has invested in a new design (front end) and an amazing database (back end), both of which will see significant changes to make the interaction between Drama Victoria and its members a more efficient and exciting experience.

One session will be for new and returning teachers to VCE Drama and the other is for new and returning teachers to VCE Theatre Studies.

Both seminars will cover content and assessment in Units 1-4, include two presenters and plenty of opportunity for Q&A.

I will be the lead presenter for the VCE Drama session and Mark Bailey, current President of Drama Australia, will be the lead presenter for the Theatre Studies session.

Not too late to book! Details on the Drama Victoria website.

To get the ball rolling, I’ll list a few of my own new year’s resolutions for my professional life as a high school Drama teacher, while I hope and pray none of my students accidentally or deliberately end up reading this post! If they do come across it in their travels, well at least I’ll be kept honest, hey?

Justin’s Top 10 New Year’s Resolution 2011

1. be more organised
2. learn to prioritise
3. plan, plan, plan!
4. use more technology in the drama classroom
5. play more targeted drama games
6. empower my students more
7. make a greater number of my drama lessons fun for my students
8. learn new ideas and concepts from my students
9. implement student suggestions in my curriculum
10. be more passionate about drama teaching than ever before!

Anyone else wish to share their new year’s resolutions below? Please, feel free to comment!

Performers Physicality in Rehearsal

International course 2011-2012 in ITALY.

The course is open to performing arts practitioners with professional stage experience working in various genres, techniques and styles. Five intensive practical sessions Session I – March 18th, 19th, 20th in Turin.

Apply for participation on:

http://www.iugte.com/projects/audition.php

http://picasaweb.google.com/globtheatre

Places are limited. The working languages are English and Italian. Participants who successfully complete the course receive a certificate.