SENIOR SCHOOL
Drama
Year 12 Drama production
The Tempest
by William Shakespeare
The 2014 Year 12 Drama production of
The Tempest by the great Bard, William
Shakespeare, was directed by wellknown theatre director Paige Newmark,
Artistic Director of Shakespeare WA,
and responsible for the popular annual
Shakespeare In The Park productions held in
Kings Park.
It was a great privilege for the Year 12
Drama boys to work with a select group
of Perth College girls under the expert
direction of Paige on a play that demands a
high level of performance skill. All students
were stretched in both their performance
skills and historical understanding of The
Bard’s great work, especially the rigour and
beauty of the language, imagery and the
challenges of specific characterisation.
The production was marked by excellent
direction, a rich textural set, period
costumes from Marloo Theatre, beautiful
lighting by professional designer Damien
Hanson and strong performances from
the students. There were memorable
performances by Cohen Dix (12SG) as
the half human, half fish, Caliban, David
Ratcliffe (12Be) as Prospero, Julian
Giustiniano (12Be) as the hapless jester,
Trinculo and Dominic Haffter (12Be) as the
love struck prince, Ferdinand.
Barking Gecko Set Design
Workshop
Theatre designer Emma Craig from Barking
Gecko Theatre Company delivered design
workshops to the Year 11 and 12 Drama
students in Term 1.
Emma demonstrated the process of developing
a design idea from page to stage, how the
designer lifts imagery and ideas directly
from the play text and then the imaginative
development of those ideas into form. She also
explained the relationship between the director
and the rest of the design team including
lighting and costume designers.
The drama boys gained a firsthand insight
into other lines of employment of the theatre
industry other than that of the actor.
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