Oral competencies are needed in a highly connected global context of the 21st century. Drama develops the types of competencies young people will need to be able to deal with the volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous world we live in. An education that is holistic must allow all aspects of a young person’s talent and abilities to come to the fore.
The study of Drama is a dynamic learning experience that encourages a cooperative approach to exploring the world through enactment. Students engage in creative processes of sharing, developing and expressing emotions and ideas. By portraying aspects of human experience through exploring the ways people react and respond to different situations and issues, students communicate, in complex and powerful ways, their perceptions of the world around them. Steve Jobs said ‘The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda for an entire generation to come’. This area of study empowers students to be those storytellers.
A compulsory subject in Stage 4, with a range of elective Drama courses available in Stage 5, students at CTHS enjoy the option of being able to study this subject throughout high school.
In Stage 6, the Year 11 Drama Preliminary Course and HSC Drama course provide students with rich opportunities to continue to apply their skills and expertise to both theoretical and practical tasks.
The collaborative nature of this artform engages students in a creative process of sharing, developing and expressing emotions and ideas. Students develop knowledge, understanding and skills, individually and collectively, through:
- making drama that explores a range of imagined and created situations in a collaborative drama and theatre environment
- performing devised and scripted drama using a variety of performance techniques, dramatic forms and theatrical conventions to engage an audience
- appreciating the meaning and function of drama and theatre in reflecting the personal, social, cultural, aesthetic and political aspects of the human experience.
Self-confidence, motivation and self-esteem are developed through the devising, workshopping, rehearsing and performing of individual and collaborative works. HSC Drama students at CTHS are regular recipients of ONSTAGE nominations for Group and Individual Performance as well having Individual Projects selected for ONSTAGE, an annual showcase recognising excellence in HSC Drama work.
