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Grants
and Projects - Drama, Music and Arts
Romeo and Juliet
Production
In term 4 of 2001, V.C.E.
Drama student's at Northland Secondary College were inspired by William
Shakespeares' Romeo & Juliet. They read the original script by
Shakespeare, they watched the movie of the same name with Leonardo Decaprio
and decided to adapt the play into their own version and language. The same
drama student's two years earlier had performed their first play called The
Binna Binna Man, (first school play in eight years) and consequently other
drama performances since.
The students desire to
perform Romeo & Juliet, was built on the knowledge that they would be
adapting the play and therefore interpreting Shakespeare's language to suit
their own. The student's had also suggested they do the play because they
wanted to do something that the audience wouldn't expect of them. From the
very start of the process students became aware of the risks and pressures
that the group would be confronting. The audience would need to understand
the language created from the group, if they were to engage the entire
play, from start to finish.
The result of three
months reading, writing and re-writing was Romeo & Juliet, Northland
Secondary College Style. Set in a gangland style car park, with old trucks
and cars as props the students used the stage all over to discover and
explore Shakespeare/Northland characters created through the adapted
scripted. The play was performed over two days in an old abandoned shed
*(old hangar) at the back of the school, to near capacity audiences. By the
third show the students had shed all their doubts and concerns (due in part
to the epic nature of the production), to stand on the stage at the end of
their final performance and command gracious and heart felt applause, as
only the best in the business have an opportunity to do.
The process for this work
was supported and funded by The Anna Werne trust and RKEC. Funding was used
to create a production budget for costumes, lights, props and publicity, as
well as one week camp at Apollo Bay, where the students were given space
and time with artists to develop, rehearse and share ideas.
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