As Term 2 concluded, our Drama Department led by Dave Sheehan showcased exceptional talent and creativity with the annual Play Series performances. Over three weeks, four classes brought four distinct plays to life, captivating audiences of parents, staff, and friends each night.

The Year 12 students kicked off the series with Bertolt Brecht’s ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’. The darkly comedic play is a satirical allegory of Hitler's rise to power, transposing the events to a Midwest-American-gangster setting in the 1930s. The students’ portrayal of such a politically charged play was engaging and thought-provoking, impressing the audience with their maturity in handling complex themes.

Next, the Year 13 students presented ‘The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later’ by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project. This play revisits the town of Laramie, Wyoming a decade after the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, exploring the long-term impact of the event on the community. As with their last Play Series, our leavers delivered powerful performances, unpacking themes of hate, redemption, and community resilience.

Following this, the Year 11 students performed two plays. ‘The Boy Who Blew Up the Pandemic’ by Ken Mizusawa offered a more contemporary and imaginative narrative. It blended humour into the chaos and confusion of a pandemic through the eyes of a young boy, an all-too-familiar situation considering recent global events.

The second Year 11 play, ‘Radium Girls’ by D.W. Gregory, recounted the harrowing true story of female factory workers in the 1920s who suffered from radium poisoning due to their employer’s negligence. The students were haunting in their reminder of the importance of workers’ rights and corporate accountability.

Throughout the Play Series, the Drama students proved to be exceptional talents, showing versatility and dedication through their rehearsals and performances. Their commitment to the craft was evident in every performance, leaving audiences both entertained and contemplative.

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