A little over a week ago JPC celebrated the Arts with its annual ‘Arts Evening’. This year the talent on display was unprecedented, the show was dynamic, contemporary and creative. Students involved had been working tirelessly towards the evening's celebrations, it was very apparent that the Arts are alive and kicking at JPC, with an array of Media, Art and Photography on display and inspiring performances in Drama, Dance and Music.
As part of their Media course Year 8 students are required to create a digital story. They are to develop their own narrative, take their own images and source appropriate sounds. Students are then to combine these into a digital story. There were three works highlighted in the evening: the first work was by Charlie Jenkins and his personal recount of recent events in his life. The second work was by William Carey and draws us into a forgotten world and requires us to think and contemplate. The third work by Sarah Grieb was a joyous celebration of literature.
Students in Year 9/10 Art and Year 9/10 Photography and Graphic Design produced a fantastic portfolio of work. The images displayed were examples of the student’s photographs and also their creative works using Photoshop. The images explore themes including portraits, still life, street art and minimalism.
In Year 7, students study Drama for one term. During this course, they learn how to collaborate using playbuilding techniques. To focus these performances, students study the theory of practitioner, Rudolf Von Laban. Without using dialogue, Drama students effectively told a story through their actions and facial expressions.
The first topic studied in Year 9 and 10 Drama this semester, is Stansilavski’s System to develop authentic characters. Through a series of workshops, students have been developing realistic characters and engaging with Method Acting. A monologue taken from the contemporary and moving play Stuff Happens written by David Hare, deals with real people’s reflections about the aftermath of 9/11 in America. Rios Valenzuela wanted to tackle this monologue and through subtle staging and vocal delivery, he retold this powerful story from the anonymous character based on the real experiences of people involved.
Students haven’t only been exploring contemporary texts to develop authentic characters, but they have also reverted to the ‘classics’. And what is more classic than Juliet from William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet? In order to connect with these older characters, students not only researched the play and then broke down the language, they used their own experiences and emotions to connect. Briana Pilicic's monologue excellently demonstrated Juliet hopelessly in teenage love with Romeo and longing for their upcoming nuptials.
All assessment dances performed throughout the evening were from the Musical Theatre genre. During the semester students developed the skills to create adaptations from well-known musical theatre scenes. Students investigated the impact of prop, lighting and choreographic devices and elements of dance in order to create an amalgamated musical theatre piece. The dances performed were a fantastic representation of choreographical devices and elements of dance.
The music throughout the evening was wonderful, the concert band kicked off with an excellent performance of ‘fun, fun, fun’ followed by performances from the rock bands and un-plugged bands. The music on offer was varied and entertaining, the skill level of our young students was quite impressive.
The evening was made all that more special by the amazing catering provided in the intermission by our very own Belinda Kelly and her kitchen team, supported by our Food Technology teacher Annie Daley. The professionalism and standard of service was second to none, providing a platform for celebratory discussion surround the first Act performances.
I think most would agree that the evening was a great success, the talent on show was varied and celebrated. A great evening enjoyed by all those who were a part of it. The Arts team feel very excited about the possibilities for next year’s celebrations, the sky is the limit!
Faye Robertson