College Information & Events
11 May By Mr. Andrew Seeary, VCE Drama Coordinator
Every year as a teacher of senior drama I must select from a given number of prescribed plays that students will need to view and analyse. Attending and analysing a performance by professional drama performers provides opportunities for students to build upon their experience of how the many elements and aspects of theatre can be used to create performance. It also is a valuable way of making connections to their own work.
New Zealand production company A Slightly Isolated Dog came to the Geelong Performing Arts centre at the end of last month to perform Jekyll and Hyde from Robert Louis Stevenson’ classic novel using this as a vehicle for their madcap comic fun. Damascus drama students from year 11 & 12 were bused to the venue with more than a strong inkling that they were in for an experience out of the ordinary
As we entered the five-piece group welcome us, mingling with the audience and asking polite questions. Speaking in extravagant French accents and covering all areas of the theatre. In these opening moments we further got a taste of the immersive, highly-charged fun that awaited us. The first ten minutes of the production was something of a sharing session with the performers discussing what they have learned about the audience – with impressive recollection of our names and details. This indicated that the audience was to be a big part of the show – whether we liked it or not.
The core of the is a satirical take on a piece of classical literature – in this case Jekyll and Hyde – but a very loose adaptation at best. That doesn’t really describe it though. Because the majority of the show is a semi-improvised take on tales told about Mr Hyde, with a healthy amount of audience interaction mixed in with them. There’re stories about Mr. Hyde killing every member of the English Cricket team, tales of him breaking every plate in the Debenham’s crockery department, and tales of him committing petty crimes, like kicking people in the shin.
Every member of the cast was able to spellbind us with their humour and were able to come up with brilliant stingers and stories on the spot. They worked hard to make us feel comfortable which was so extraordinarily important for a show with quite so much audience interaction. They also weaved in musical interludes, which were excellent for setting the tone- their use of Nicki Minaj and Billie Eilish was especially great.
After the loss of theatre that were so much a part of 2020 this was such a wonderfully immersive, creative and entertaining experience for the students and great fodder for them to develop their analytical and practical skills.