De La Salle College

Drama

Our Drama classes focus on building confidence, creativity and personal expression. Students are encouraged to experiment and explore, whilst also learning about the technicalities of the art of drama and its history and place in the world today. They learn to play characters and tell stories while holding a mirror to life.

Year 5 to Year 6

These years focus on storytelling and character creation at a level appropriate to the age group. The students are encouraged to use their imagination and to work cooperatively in small groups.

Year 7

The sophistication of the skill base in storytelling and character increase with the introduction of Archetype and more concrete settings for stories and improvisation. Students are expected to use Drama knowledge to create a performance from a piece of original writing.

Year 8

These students examine Motivation and Objective as drivers of character and reaction. They also create characters and stories and study symbolism which is then incorporated into their stories. They are also expected to write an original, performable monologue for a character from a film.

Year 9

Students in this elective, semester-long course examine comedy through the acquisition of skills and knowledge which they then use to create a comic piece. Monologue is also studied as the students use group work to create a piece of theatre out of original monologues only.

Year 10

This elective, semester-long course examines the work of Stanislavski and the Method style of acting. An academic study of these elements is undertaken alongside a practical component in which the students recreate scenes from TV and Film with an emphasis on Naturalism and Method Acting.

VCE Drama

The school offers Units 1 to 4 VCE Drama which encompasses a study of many Drama concepts, Theatre styles and Acting skills and techniques. Students create ensemble and solo, self-devised pieces of theatre from set stimuli which are then performed and assessed in front of a variety of audiences. There are exams both internal and external and the latter consist of a written and a solo performance exam.

Annual Productions

Both a junior and senior music theatre production are put on each year with a local girls’ school, as well as a senior play. Students have the opportunity to act on stage, play in the orchestra, build sets, make costumes, be part of the hair and makeup team or work in the technical production of the show. Using professional facilities around Melbourne, our students receive the very best experience possible, make lasting friendships and gain valuable performance skills.

Drama Nights

In addition to the Annual Productions, we have more informal Drama Assessment Evenings twice a year. At these events, the great work our boys have done in their Drama classes can be seen by their nearest and dearest and much of it will be assessed on that evening as live performance is an essential skill in what we do.

--