A Little Bit of Improv
Over the past few weeks, students from all Houses across Years 7 – 11 have been participating in the annual Interhouse Drama workshops. The girls worked in teams of four to six, playing drama games and improvising to create oscar-winning performances. The Senior and Junior competitions, held in Weeks 5 and 6 respectively, were true tests of courage, as the girls pushed themselves to get a perfect score from the judges.Â
This year, Santa Maria was fortunate to host Glenn Hall as the guest drama practitioner for the event. Glenn is a professional performer who is one of Australia’s most reputed improv lecturers. He is an MC and entertainer with 30 years of professional experience in improv comedy, improv for business and improv for actors. He worked with students over several weeks, teaching improvisation skills, tips, and tricks to help win over the audience and take home the winning title.Â
During the competitions, students participated in games, such as genres, where they would tell a story and each team member would narrate in a different book genre, such as horror, romance and sci-fi. An audience favourite, space jump, was where the action and situation of the scene would constantly change when an additional actor would join until every team member was a part of a new scene. The architect involved two players being real estate agents trying to sell a house to the audience, whilst the rest of the team transformed into the furniture found in the house.Â
Family, friends, students, teachers, especially the House Coordinators, were blown away by the students’ ability to improvise and create a world of their own without planning or discussing. Accepting the offers they were given, the teams made the most of their time on stage, trying to gain a perfect score from the judges.Â
Olivia Taliangis, Performing Arts Captain
Here is what two of the students had to say:
Some things I learnt whilst being in the Interhouse Drama competition was how to improvise in performances, how to play different drama games, develop teamwork and ensure that your performance is entertaining and enjoyable to watch. The audience interaction also made this experience memorable and more enjoyable for the contestants. Some things I enjoyed were getting to play the games on competition night and seeing what the other teams came up with. Some key highlights of the night were pursuing my passion for performing, being able to create a performance with new people, and getting to learn about new games and improvisation techniques. Another aspect of House Drama was attending the workshops and learning new games. This part is also fun, as we got to gather as drama students and develop our performing skills while getting to know our teammates and competitors. Claire Durston, Year 9
I really enjoyed being involved in the Interhouse Drama competitions! This year we had the famous Glenn as the coordinator of the show. Through his bright and bubbly personality, he taught all the girls the games with ease. I enjoyed the upbeat and buoyant mood he set during the performances that made working together as a theatre sports team even more fun! Sienna Patane, Year 11
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- Featured, Learning4Life
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
