We are just coming to the end of the 2017/18 year as well as our final units of study in the Upper Elementary Drama classes which include: the Grade 5’s “Mixed Up Fairy Tales”, the Grade 6’s “Favourite Memory Monologues”, the Grade 7’s “Intro to Shakespeare” and the Grade 8’s “Modern Macbeth Film”. It has been a memorable year full of some extremely impressive performances. Most notably, this year’s Dramatic Monologue performances by the Grade 8 class were amongst some of the most moving I have ever had the privilege of watching. A significant degree of focus was required to inject a sense of realism into all of their performances no matter how outlandish or off-the-wall the circumstances surrounding that performance may have been. In the Upper Elementary Drama classes we have been learning that for an audience to be invested in any performance they must feel as though the actors believe they are who they are pretending to be. The truth of course, is that every audience member knows it is pretend but they are there because they want to believe. It is the actors’ job to make the acting so realistic that it forces the audience to hold off their disbelief and start believing in the stage action. If the audience forgets for a moment that they are sitting in the theatre while watching a play (or in our case, a classroom or gymnasium) then the actors have successfully made the audience suspend their disbelief. The flip side of that coin is that if an actor does not fully believe in his or her character they are portraying, then the audience will feel cheated. If an actor does not believe in his or her role, then why should the audience? Not only is this a crucial acting truth but it is also something I believe the students can bring outside the classroom into everyday life. If they truly believe in who they are and what they need to say then they will always find a pair of ears ready and willing to listen. “We know what we are, but we know not what we may be.” -William Shakespeare
Wheatley School Montessori and International Baccalaureate school