Class 7 & 8 News - Play Season at Golden Hill!
Play ‘season’ is amongst us at Golden Hill. A few of our classes have begun to prepare for their class play. A poignant moment in the school year. Last year in Class 7 we ventured into town to the Denmark Civic Centre and performed the “Canterbury Tales’, to our school and wider community. It was a grand event honouring the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. It was also an opportunity for our high school students to perform on the big stage. There was much excitement regarding the dressing room, the large velvet curtains, lighting and sound support, and the many spaces offstage. It has been lovely to watch the Class 7 students feel the buzz of the bright lights and begin to anticipate the mood of opening night. The use of the civic centre contributes to a large audience which gives our high school students an exciting and rewarding experience whilst developing new skills and working cohesively as a group. It also promotes our wonderful school within the Denmark community.
This term the rehearsals for Shakespeare’s “A Comedy of Tragedies’, are well underway. The play is a comical Shakespearean melodrama in 3 acts. As part of the English curriculum, we began the year focusing on the many works by playwright, William Shakespeare. We studied Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Hamlet and of course Romeo and Juliet. The latter three form part of our play performance.
Plays hold a great space within our curriculum and our classes, and I found this excerpt below which explains its pertinence perfectly. I hope to see you at our Class 7 and 8 play on May 14th or 15th.
Robyn
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The class play is a wonderful Waldorf School tradition that brings the entire school community together. All class teachers, students, parents, and extended families can be included.
The play allows the teacher to build the social strength of the class and reinforces several aspects of the curriculum. Preparing for the play changes the routine in a stimulating and artistic way that is a welcome break from the usual rhythm of the school year. Many artistic projects can be a part of preparations for the plays, such as creating paper maché masks and props, learning musical instrument pieces, voice and dance opportunities, set design, as well as sewing and fabric arts.
The play helps the class teacher to develop the skills and capacity of the students and strengthens a sense of interdependence in the whole class while introducing a new form of creativity, the dramatic arts. Some teachers elect to put on a play only every other year or every three years, it is entirely at the teacher’s discretion.
Teachers decide on the play and the cast. Often an unlikely candidate is chosen for a lead part and an obvious leader is chosen for a small part, which can surprise everyone. This can become an important way to shift class dynamics and stretch individual children’s abilities. The results stretch the child’s abilities and add to the artistic experience and sensibilities of the young artist. In the culture of North America, the preoccupation with “talent” and “genius,” or the personality-driven aspect of our culture can make it difficult to grasp why we do plays in a Waldorf classroom.
An effective pedagogical play is not judged by the same criteria as a mainstream production. The intention is beyond entertainment for an audience or for parents. Children learn to depend on each other in new ways and to discover their ability to take on different characters after deeply entering into a new stage persona. Students find new voices for themselves, new motivations, new friends, and a new appreciation for each other through their interactions on stage.
(February 08 2018) Why a Class Play in Waldorf in Schools? Excerpted from Waldorf Publications.org [blog post} https://www.waldorfpublications.org/blogs/book-news/why-a-class-play-in-waldorf-schools