Student Theatre Festivals

"...it was just a rewarding kind of experience, probably the most hard work I've ever put into anything but it's the most fulfilling type of hard work cos' at the end you see it all come together and you kind of see how much effort everyone has put into something and it all falls into place, and seeing the journey of our cast was another thing..." 

Aahana & Aneira, Directors

"...the process was fantastic... as a creative experience, it was completely and absolutely fulfilling having that freedom to just play - again, such an incredible script right and all the work that is in there - and the characters too, with directing the actors, that was really really good..." 

Aidan & Evie, Directors

"...and the design team as well, like the freedom that you have as directors to - cos' nobody tells you what to do which I think is scary but also kind of super awesome like it's very different from being an actor...You have to be organised going into it and if you're not, you will realise it in the first two weeks that you have to be organised..." 

Aidan & Evie, Directors

"...it's really good also having a partner I think, because sometimes the going can get really tough and having someone there who also supports you and can also make choices when you find it really difficult to is the best ever..." 

Aahana & Aneira, Directors

"...and you want to kind of like establish that line - because we had to do that as well because you know you get so close to your cast and that's always great because our cast was super energetic and they always brought so much energy to rehearsals and we couldn't have asked for a better cast but you know there's always that line between friends and directors that gets a bit blurry eventually so you always want to kind of establish some ground rules especially with great productions like these, commitment is always an issue cos' people have clashes and stuff so you need to let them know how it may seem like we have a lot of rehearsals but we don't actually have a lot of rehearsals... someone not being there affects everyone so it's really important that your cast knows that and they know their role in the production - that it's equally as important whether you are a lead or an ensemble - everyone is equal in this and everyone contributes to the success of this together..." 

Aahana & Aneira, Directors

"...also when doing the uncomfortable scenes, I feel like over time we were able to handle them especially when the cast dynamic was formed in the first few rehearsals, we were eventually able to go to those uncomfortable scenes and be comfortable with each other..." 

Aidan & Evie, Directors

"...and to find time for a break as well, like finding an outlet for your stress or whatever it is, for us, that was Equus and doing the Student Theatre Festival. As daunting as it might sound, I think, like having all that work, it is quite cathartic, working on something that you love. It felt like a passion project that everybody was passionate about and everybody helped us realise..." 

Aidan & Evie, Directors

"...even though it was like a scary experience, being a Stage Manager could teach me a lot of really important skills like communication, working collaboratively with people, and I felt like it was a good opportunity to grow as a person and also grow creatively and have this other perspective of theatre and how it works..." 

David, Stage Manager

"...to explore different interests because now I've realised that this is actually a line of work that is very interesting to me, and so, for me specifically, I want to do film so this is another aspect which is very interesting..." 

Shayna, Stage Manager

"...I met a lot of people that I'm really good friends with now and so I was able to make friends with people that I wouldn't normally go out and talk to and so it was a great experience to see how people work in different roles because it is a completely student-run activity, we have a lot of automony to do what we want to do and inspired to do..." 

Shayna, Stage Manager

"...I feel like it just brings another part of your creative mind into also combining it with the perspective of others and the perspective of the director, the perspective of the lighting and the sound - it is really cool..." 

David, Stage Manager

"..as a Stage Manager, I was in charge of the props that were on stage and also the ones that the actors use... making sure that they were safe for the actors to use. I was in charge of spiking the stage, I was in charge of taking notes from the director and also to be of an assistance like when the actors are not there, I had to reach out to them and talk to them about that. I had to also be connected to the production elements, the lighting the sound, the multimedia, and trying to make sure these production elements align to the script and the director's idea... or kind of be an actor if someone was absent, I had to call their lines and do their part..." 

David, Stage Manager

"...you don't need a lot of prior skills. I had never been a Stage Manager before, I had barely even done drama productions in general because I didn't like being on stage necessarily and so doing a backstage role was a great opportunity for me to work in a student production but not necessarily be on stage at least. I don't think you need any prior skills, you just need to be interested in what you want to do and make sure that you put all your effort because if you put all your effort, everyone else is going to do the same..." 

Shayna, Stage Manager

"..being part of a production was really a chance to help me express myself in ways I haven't really thought about before. I knew I always wanted to do theatre but to actually be on stage, to be in the moment and to actually do it is a completely different experience and a great opportunity for students who actually want to discover..." 

Ainhoa, Actor

"...it's more of a skill actually that I gained, of time management, and I would say that it's quite worth it but overall for what I did in the play, it was very very worthwhile and I would highly recommend anyone to join it. It's gonna be tough at first definitely but sooner or later you are going to start falling in love with the play..." 

Jeffrey, Actor

"...looking back on the Student Theatre Festival, it definitely challenged me, especially my memory. I think remembering my lines was one of the most stressful and hard things that I had to do but we always get there in the end... if I had to say what was the most important skill in theatre then it would be adaptability - being able to react and think on the spot in case something goes wrong..." 

Ainhoa, Actor

"...I wanted to try something new and I didn't quite have the confidence to be a full-on actor so I wanted something more subtle and that led me to lighting as part of the production crew in this year's Student Theatre Festival. It was a unique experience, I learnt a lot, quite a bit, obviously had Manuel to help me and it was really helpful and I had the chance to grow in managing my time..." 

Karanja, Lighting

"...drama wasn't necessarily part of the curriculum of the school I was in so it would be really hard for students and younger people to participate in it, but here, it was actually something that was encouraged and the students actually led their own productions and that was really interesting for me. So I decided to try my hand at it..." 

Karanja, Lighting

"...with sound is it's not just you play a button and then the sound just happens. It's more about you gotta develop the pieces beforehand so when you're finding music, it has to fit the themes going on in the production, it has to go through the right speakers so it sounds like it's coming from a certain direction. You can play with where the sound comes from, what it sounds like, how loud it is, you can add sound effects... there are multiple different effects that you get to come up with because you're the person who's in charge of sound design... Sound isn't just about finding things on the Internet, you can also make your own sounds..." 

Avi, Sound

"...The role as lighting - what I do is I help build the world for the actors and the directors. This can be both making it look like it's whatever the setting is - if it's day, obviously it's brighter, it's warmer colours; if it's winter at night, it's a lot darker, there's hues of blue. And so it's experimenting with all these things to have a representation of the setting of the story..." 

Lexie, Lighting

"...At first, when you sit behind the computer and you see this like system of the lights, it's very daunting. But it's actually been really interesting and so amazing to learn about. There's lots of cool things you can do and there's so many people at school supporting you and helping you to learn all the systems and really making it the best you can..." 

Lexie, Lighting

"...So the production sound was amazing because there's so many different things you learn from it. You're trying to balance the audio with noises that you have going on with the cast and you have your own sort of ability to change the volume, change the effects, and you're working with basically a bunch of great people..." 

Avi, Sound

"...also I worked close with Avi from sound as part of the production crew and backstage and it was really interesting because he's done this before previously and he worked up the experience so he'd share things with me and tell me how to do certain things, we'd make jokes behind the scene when the directors told people to cut and got a good bromance out of it, it was really fun." 

Karanja, Lighting

"...I often came in and sat for rehearsals, took notes on the script, took notes on the staging, how the characters were moving and how I could emphasize that. And I was also able to talk to the actors and the directors and bounce ideas off them, I would run ideas through them, they would go 'oh I love this, how about we incorporate some of this'... and it was just such an amazing project to work on it with other people..." 

Lexie, Lighting

"...working with the lights is such a personal experience because like when I did most of my light work, I was alone at lunch in the Drama Studio and so it was just really me alone reading the script and playing around with the lights so it felt very personal... because I was alone when I did a lot of the lighting, there was almost like this connection to the lights..." 

Lexie, Lighting

"...also I'd like to see where lighting and being part of a production crew takes me because when someone thinks of acting, they immediately go to the actors and the people on the stage but they never think about the people behind the stage who make it all happen and that's something really interesting and cool that I found quite unique." 

Karanja, Lighting

"...I think doing a tech role has been so amazing for me because I've always been really interested in theatre and really loved watching performances and things like that, but acting's really just not for me, it's not my cup of tea but I was able to be a part of [a production] and work on it and still have this end-product which I feel that I put a lot of work into without having to be on the stage..." 

Lexie, Lighting

"...I know that we are putting up a major production, it looks really great in the end. The amount of work that goes in is not little but the work isn't that noticeable because you are working with people and you're genuinely enjoying the time so I would definitely recommend anyone to do a production because the experiences you get are amazing." 

Avi, Sound

"...but I realised whilst finishing off the production last year and over the summer that the process of directing is a very engaging and enriching experience to have, for example, I realised that a lot of our cast members really developed in themselves and gained that confidence - something they would not have really been able to do, I think, without this opportunity that Tanuvi and I gave to them last year..." 

India

"...at first I was a bit apprehensive about returning back to directing, especially in my final year, I think I was very nervous about the time commitment and the amount of work it would take, but I'm really happy that I did because I mean it was hard definitely and at some points it took some really big time management and a big prioritising of what's more important but in the end directing is a great way, a great outlet of creativity, and a great way to be your creative self and give out your creative ideas in a space that really works well and it's a process that I really enjoyed - both doing it with someone else and both having the sense of having someone to bounce ideas off but especially this year in kind of being able to take more independence and especially doing it on a bigger scale - this year I was fortunate enough to be able to direct into the black box..." 

Tanuvi

"...directing Lord of the Flies was a really amazing opportunity. It started out with Wiste and I sort of putting our ideas together and then slowly along the process we got to see it all come together and it really meant a lot for us to see the final product. 

Yeah I think because Maya and I have been actors in the Drama Department for a few years now, we were really curious to see what it was like to work towards a production from a different angle so we wanted to see more of the directorial behind-the-scenes aspects to making a production."

Maya & Sophia

"...the reason why I chose to co-direct a play was because this was an incredible learning opportunity as well as a leadership opportunity and I really enjoyed like bringing a scripted piece to life. 

Yeah, I think we both were really fascinated by DNA when we heard about this opportunity and while we were picking out plays for this opportunity we really thought that DNA had themes that were super relevant to a school context and it was a play that maybe the school community should watch..."

Damini & Drishya

"...The reason why I specifically chose Death of a Salesman was really the story of Willy Loman and how his struggles are something that is so universal and something that can really connect to every audience member and every actor as well and really this whole aspect of really trying but not be able to cope with failures in life and how you are posing your life values out onto your children. I think that's something that a lot of people are able to connect to. And so I feel that by being able to choose a play like this, I really was able to try and see what I can manage as a student to try and create an impact on our school...

I think that when trying to understand and depict really the meaning that Death of a Salesman has, that Arthur Miller was really trying to explore in this piece what, I think, was most important. I remember as a cast member, we all sat down and I asked them, you know, 'look into your character, what is the role of this character in this play?' There was obviously an intention towards it. 'What is the impact that Arthur Miller would like to create to the audience member?'..." 

India

"One of the first things that happen when you get chosen as a director is you are told to pick a play that you are going to be doing. So, I think a lot of people assume you were just given a play and just told to kind of run with it but it's very different from what actually happens. There's a lot of ownership on you and a lot of decision on your part on what you would like to do. They start off with the Drama Department provides a list of plays that either have been done before or performed in class, and you kind of look through them and like pick a few that you like. It's really useful because you are able to try and find how you want your play to look like. So for example, the few that I kind of picked out were Marat/Sade, a few plays by Sarah Kane - because I wanted something that was a bit text-heavy but could also have some really nice opportunity for physicality, so I felt that the combination of the two of those was really quite nice. And then, what happens is you go talk to the Drama teachers and you kind of talk through your play choices and your ideas...

...So after we had my meeting, what happens is they go and apply for the licenses and what happened with me was unfortunately we could not get the licenses for any of my first plays and then in another meeting with Ms Parr, she actually suggested looking at Frankenstein by Nick Dear, and right from the beginning when I first read it, I just completely fell in love with it, I think that it's such an interesting play and just such an interesting reiteration of Frankenstein..." 

Tanuvi

"The idea for us to choose Lord of the Flies came from one of our Chinese classes in Grade 10 and we were kind of looking through plays, looking at different plays that we could put on, and Lord of the Flies really stuck out to us. It was a play that was really really crazy and it had so much energy - just by looking at the script, we could tell that. And we thought it was really captivating...

And some other elements that intrigued us when we were looking at the script for Lord of the Flies was sort of the design elements that we could do with it. So we were really interested by Theatre in the Round, which is having your stage and the audience surrounding your stage on all sides, which was quite a challenge for us throughout the process but I think we overcame it..." 

Maya and Sophia

"...Since it was our first time doing something like this, we faced a lot of challenges, and like especially for time management and kind of just like getting everybody to collaborate and cooperate was a really big challenge since they were all our age as well. But we did develop a lot of skills such as leadership skills and decision making skills and time management. So, this process like really helped us to gain a lot of confidence as well and I think it's really going to help us in the future like in future projects in our Theatre classes." 

Damini and Drishya

"I think at the beginning of the process, it was definitely very terrifying the amount of responsibility and creative control we had but kind of as time went on, it kind of dawned on me that in the end it does come down to the actors and we can only shape them so much, we can't actually control everything. And I'm sort of a perfectionist sometimes so I wanted to just control everything and have everything to be exactly the way I wanted it so I had to also learn to let go of that. 

And our cast were really great with that, whenever we handed over responsibility or power to them, they were really great at shaping that into sort of the visions that we had but also that they had so it became something that was everyone's rather than just ours, which was really nice..." 

Maya and Sophia

"Another really daunting aspect of the designing process was the lighting and sound. Sound wasn't something that we particularly were completely comfortable with or used to using but thankfully we had such an amazing tech crew. Julia was really able to step up and sort of gained the vision that we had for the play and interpret that into the sound choice which we thought was really great and Kate and Cam were also amazing on lighting and they were able to create the setting and the environment and the atmosphere that we wanted for each and every scene - which was really great..." 

Maya and Sophia

"Our experience as Grade 11 co-directors was largely very positive. I think a lot of people are scared of the idea of being a director because they are worried that they will suffer academically however we managed to hit all of our deadlines, keep up our grades. It wasn't too much of a struggle to balance both aspects of our curriculum, however, it is a workload and you do have to be passionate about it... 

I also really recommend doing it with a co-director - it was really great working together and it meant that if we had something we need to do, we were able to split up and that made it a lot more efficient..." 

Maya and Sophia

"...So I think the whole aspect of how my communicative, my collaborative, self-management skills, I think, have all really come from as a result of Theatre where I am able to practise this constantly and effectively all the time with my classmates. And so, as a result, I really see the immense impact Theatre has had on me and that's why I chose to do it in IB because it's a subject that I enjoy a lot and I really took this time, and I value the time I put into Theatre because I knew that the outcomes and the skills that I will be learning from it, I will be able to use for the rest of my life and it's something that I'm extremely grateful for." 

India

"...and I think on the flip side as well, then you can take the skills that you've learnt from directing and put it into your other classes. I think the biggest skills that everyone comes away with after directing is just leadership skills, creativity, and just a stronger sense of self and that really helps when it comes to working in IB because anytime there is any group project - oh and self-management obviously - anytime there is a group project, you feel confident in yourself enough to be able to take charge, anytime that you need to do something that's different or creative or you need to think of different ways of doing it, you are able to because you've just spent the last few months thinking creatively. And even just managing your deadlines, managing and making sure that you submit things on time, you are able to do much better because you've just spent the last few months managing how you are going to spend your time on what in a production so I think that IB and student-directed have a lot of inter-linking between each other, and it's something that definitely helps you in both ways."

Tanuvi

"...I chose to do theatre here at UWC instead of anything else because I believe - I've had theatre experience in the past - and I believe that the community of theatre and that collaborative sense of creating something together is something you can't find anywhere else and that feeling of being onstage and embodying a character that maybe you don't know before and learning how to be like that and working with others to create something has always been absolutely brilliant for me and I've loved it, all of it, every second of it." 

Aidan

"...even though Grade 12 is just really really busy as everyone knows, I still think it was really important for me to take part in it just because I love it so much and if it's something that you love, then a student-led production is the perfect way to just grow your skills mainly because if it's student-led then it's much smaller, it's a smaller cast, you are directed by a student and you are in a smaller space, you are in the drama studios. So if you really want to be able to zoom in on your skills - whether that's design or acting or directing or whatever it is - a student-led production is a great way to do that because it kind of puts all of the skills under a microscope and if you want to improve and really develop those skills then I think it's a great place to start."

Isabelle

"...my experience doing this performance, you know my final year, was definitely quite nostalgic trying to get, to cherish the end of like my last performance in high school. But you know I think that more than anything student-led productions are so so valuable in trying to develop who you are as, you know, an actor, a person who loves theatre, as well as a person. I think at UWC we often forget that we are very very lucky to have as many activities and you know, as many opportunities as we do to kind of explore who we are, learn who we are, and theatre is exactly the thing that a lot of people should partake in to try and understand who we are as a person and how we fit into UWC and trying to explore things that we might not know about ourselves yet..." 

Ruby

"...the experience as an actor was really fulfilling as I put so much effort and hard work into it and spent a lot of time working on it with my peers. At times it was quite challenging because of course working with other actors, you have to take initiative to work on scenes together and to fix scenes, and you do have limited time, however, through the process I was really able to see how all of my hard work came into fruition in the final production. It taught me a lot about collaboration, communication, and also how to stay resilient. Also, as someone who doesn't take Drama in the IB or any Arts subject, it was really nice to bring that sort of element into my life, away from academics, and balance my life in that way." 

Emma

"...the reason that I decided to join the Student Theatre Festival this year was because I joined last year and I was in The Trial, and I think that it was one of the most valuable experiences I've had in the school, I made a lot of new friends whom I am still really good friends to this day and I think I just learnt a lot about myself and learnt about my passions and what I might want to do in the future. So this year I think it was a great opportunity for me to even further my skills as well as meet new people..." 

Wren

"...Another thing that happened was that I made so many more friends, I think the opportunity to sort of work with new people and then work with amazing directors and crew, it was really cool. I think, I'd definitely do it again. In terms of like experience, you can sort of go into any production and as long as you want to do it, I think that's all you need. In Grade 9 I sort of went into a production not really having much experience, and then I did it and that sort of led me to be doing Lord of the Flies this year, so, I think as long as you want to participate and you do it, then you'll be completely fine and you'll have probably the best time of your school year." 

Sophia

"So when I first started in Grade 9, I was really not very confident, I was very nervous when I sort of walked into my first Drama lesson, I went in with kind of the goal of trying to build my confidence, so as a result of that, I chose to join the student-leds in 9th Grade, so I was in the production of Arabian Nights, I had a very small role but I think it was really important for me to do it because I sort of got to see the process of the production and sort of made me want to do it the next year, which I did The Trial, which was absolutely amazing for me, I think I had so much fun getting to know the cast and my directors and yeah, it was just a very important experience and I don't think I would be where I am now without it..."

Sophia

"...I've been doing Drama since I was really small as my parents were big enthusiasts of acting and enjoying yourself when it comes to theatre. Joining this it really felt like it was something that I wanted to do, because since Covid-19 started, I haven't been able to do any big productions and if I did join any, then it would be all online and the way they were produced were they just did it online, and so being in an actual performance in front of an audience was really a new experience for me that I really enjoyed because I hadn't done it in the longest time..." 

Hayley

"...I wanted to join the production this year because I really enjoyed doing it in previous years and also the Drama course we did in Middle School really interested me which was why at the beginning of this year, I really wanted to join it and I also thought the idea of a student-directed production would be really interesting, I feel like it would be a lot more hands-on and I feel like everyone would be contributing to it a lot more..." 

Ashwin

"...it was a really unique challenge for me to play something like [Willy Loman] as I said he's completely different to what I've done before and he's also fifty years older than I am but stepping into his shoes was a really unique experience for me and I really enjoyed that challenge, that challenge of finding someone that is unlike you and just becoming that..." 

Aidan

"...the process was really challenging but I think that's a good thing. It was really challenging because here we don't typically tend to do a lot of naturalistic acting. I think this is the first time I've seen a play like this be done at the school - normally very kind of surreal, very big, very out there - this one was so much more intimate and dead naturalistic, 100% naturalistic and that presents its own set of challenges especially if we haven't really done that very much before and I found that especially playing Biff, the challenge was, the main challenge was getting to those emotional places and being able to control it cos' human emotion is a big and complex thing and sometimes it's hard to separate yourself from whom you're playing and who you are..."

Isabelle

"Becoming that character was something that required more than just experience in theatre...and having to pull from English and understanding characters, and things like psychology, understanding how his mind works and the way he reacts to things to just basic life experiences, being out in the world, pulling from what you know, even though you might not be exactly the same, you can take inspiration from what you do know and experiences that you've had yourself." 

Aidan

"...the Creature really explores in Frankenstein what it means to be human and I think that this is a topic and a concept that everyone, most artists, try to unpack and if you look at literature, if you look at music, if you look at theatre within itself, we all try to study the idea of what do humans do, what does it mean to be human, who am I as a human, how do I fit in this world, what is my role...for someone like myself who had tried to learn who he is and what he's doing, I saw that what he's doing is just trying to find his way in society, trying to find himself, and I think it is really valuable as an actor to be thrown into characters like this because you really understand more about yourself and being able to understand yourself and being able to go 'oh I relate to this character in this way and I think I would do the same as this character' and 'hmm, actually would I compare myself' and things like that, I think that you know more about who you are and what you want to be that this entire process makes it so much more beneficial to you being part of it, but the Frankenstein, being the Creature was very physical, and having to tie in that other aspect of okay so I need to completely relearn how to speak, relearn how to think, relearn how to walk, you know, as well as go through all of these philosophical questions and understandings and moral implications as well was challenging within itself so I had to tie in one of my other HLs - HL Literature - and this really again ties in the fact, what I said earlier, that everything is so interconnected in this process of theatre-making and acting, and having to unpack all of these different layers of the story was so so important..."

Ruby

"So I played Victor Frankenstein, to kind of research my character and really learn what makes him tick and his relationships with other characters, I looked at the original novel and also other people's performances of Frankenstein and I found that it is very easy for him to be labelled as mad or a crazy scientist but I think the idea that he lacks humanity entirely is a bit unfair to him..."

Emma

"Embodying someone else onstage or a different character is really freeing, for my perspective, it is really fun to sort of push yourself into someone completely different from yourself and you are able to do things that you would never do in real life - be more extroverted or take on characteristics that you personally can't relate to and it's really interesting to see how, I guess, I transform on stage..."

Emma

"My experience last year in The Trial was a really valuable experience as it allowed me - it was the first time I'd done something to do with Theatre except for in Middle School - and I realised quite a lot of things about myself and how when you are performing, when you inhibit a character and like take on these characteristics, it's something so different from how I would normally act. It allowed me to express sides of myself that won't really very present before and as I was quite a quiet and shy person last year, and I think it allowed me to step out of my comfort zone but also express myself and this character in a new way and I think this is also translated into this year..." 

Wren

"Getting into my character was, for me, quite simple, in a sense that, Piggy, my character, is quite nervous but outspoken, and has this sort of leadership but at the same time wants to follow, which is something that I can really relate to, in terms of just my everyday life.... being myself and at the same time having the experience of being Piggy at some point is just so amazing and I think no other activity that I've ever done can do that for me again, I think it is just such an important part of my personality and just my life now so yeah, it's a very cool thing." 

Sophia

"I think since Lord of the Flies is a really intense and very violent play, I had to, while performing, alienate my character from myself, and like put in a lot of differences from how I would act normally versus how my character acts, because the character is not something that I want to take away from the play..." 

Wren

"Something that I was really lucky with was that while we were doing the production, I was also in the monologue unit during Drama and I play Leah in my monologue. So I was really lucky to be able to use my learning from the DNA Theatre Festival and put it into my actual GCSE subject. Something about being a character that is not like you is something so magical about Drama - that you almost lose yourself in becoming someone else....I read the book, I read the play, and I took parts of it where I thought 'how would Leah react to this' and in my life, I took experiences that I was going through and I thought 'how would she react to this', 'what would she do' - it was just an amazing way to get to know the characters more while also getting to know myself more..." 

Hayley

"So in my play, I played the role of John Tate, and I think the process of getting into character is really difficult, because I feel like it's not something that you usually do in your daily life, like you are always acting as yourself, you are always trying to be yourself. Sometimes it's really hard because you have to really learn about the character you are going to be and you have to like really try to empathise with them and use that to try and be like them and I feel like it's a really long process..." 

Ashwin

"...which I think is really interesting, seeing characters who aren't perfect, seeing characters that are deeply flawed, especially towards each other. There are scenes in the performances, in the show, where flashback scenes, where they are fine, they are a father and a daughter, and they get along, and there were heartbreaking scenes at the very end that really comes out that element of wanting the best for the other person and not being able to give that to them or realising that that hasn't been able to come across and finding that dynamic between those two characters and finding that dynamic of staying as family but showing that fracture that has come through Willy's broken mind, was so fun and incredibly interesting and challenging to tackle with my cast." 

Aidan

"The relationships in Death of a Salesman as well was such a pivotal thing and the entire cast had to work really hard on growing and building those relationships so that on stage you believe those relationships, the audience believes them, and you can't really learn your lines and then come and block the scene and go straight to performing - it's a lot more than that...

...I mean a family relationship - any kind of family relationship - is always so complicated and convoluted and difficult and painful - that exploring that and becoming familiar enough with that in the process of a couple of months was really tough. So the work we did on that, just by talking, just by discussing, that was really vital I think, to make the end product what it was..."

Isabelle

"...So having to use those resources like I said earlier, we research very very deeply into some of the other productions that were made of Frankenstein - we watched Benedict Cumberbatch and him playing the Creature and him playing Victor Frankenstein and seeing how have they showcased those emotions of 'we are one and the same, just extensions of ourselves and at different stages of our lives'. Emma is an exceptional actor, I think she is amazing at what she does and she does it really really well and it's been amazing to be able to work with her on as many projects as we have together and so I think that, this being my last production in high school with as an amazing as an actor as she is, is really something that I cherish. And we are really close as well and so we got to break down those boundaries of what it means to be the Creature - because he is very physical, you have to really go out of your comfort zone and so when you play him, you have to sniff the ground, you have to act like an animal, as well as kind of implement that baby side of him learning, him absorbing everything around him, also having animalistic qualities, and feeling safe, and being able to explore that with someone that you trust - and I trust Emma so much - was what really helped us to portray that relationship that much more..." 

Ruby

"So someone I worked with a lot for this production is Ruby Psillides from Grade 12 - she plays the Creature. We had been in a production previously together which was Snow in Midsummer and of course then our characters were very different and the relationship between our characters was very different. So for this production, Ruby and I worked quite closely - we spent time outside of the whole cast rehearsals to work on our scenes together and the chemistry between our characters. Of course, the relationship and the chemistry between Victor Frankenstein and the Creature is a really interesting one as it sort of unpacked the idea of a master and a creation..."

Emma

"Going into the production, I didn't know everyone in the cast so it was really interesting to get to know them. The process is fairly long, it spans over a month and a half to two months, so you spend a lot of time with these people and you really get to know them... 

...and a lot of the time you are either working as a whole group or one-on-one with specific people trying to work on scenes so it's really fun to develop friendships through that."

Emma

"One person that I had a really good time and experience working with was Sophia Yeoh who played the character of Piggy. Our characters are not very compatible and in the story of Lord of the Flies, Jack kind of bullies Piggy the entire time.... 

...as we got to know both of our characters better, both of us were more comfortable with interacting with each other in this way and I think since Yeoh is one of my really good friends, we were able to portray quite a realistic and authentic kind of relationship - even if it was a negative one - it was just great to work with Yeoh on this and you know, explore our characters more and I think we got to know each other a lot more during the process and strengthened our bonds." 

Wren

"One of the characters that Leah really talks to and interacts with is Phil, her boyfriend, who is pretty unresponsive and seems to not care about her a lot. This relationship that I had to build with Ishaan, who was playing Phil, took quite a long process...

...something that was pretty absent in the relationship between Phil and Leah was that Phil never responded and it always seemed like he never cared. In DNA, Leah is constantly fighting for Phil's attention and she's always trying to impress him and make him proud and make him love her almost, because it doesn't really seem like he does. And this really connected with me because I'm always trying to show people my best and trying to earn their approval, I guess, and that's something I feel everyone goes through and that is something that Leah's character can really connect to..."

Hayley

"...I've been doing Drama for ages, and I've always had that experience - that sense of creativity and collaboration has been there for years. Being in a Drama class whether it be high school, middle school, or elementary school, will always be something that will stick with you and will help you throughout your entire life because of the confidence it will give you and the ability to work with others to create something - whether it be in the future, you know a plan or a strategy in terms of business. Working with other people to create something will always be one of the most, one of the best things you can achieve and I think being in Drama and being in a production and participating in theatre is the best way to go around doing that and it's fantastic." 

Aidan

"I think Drama as a subject and being involved in Drama is the most formative element of my teenage years. I mean, without Drama, I'm not entirely sure where I'd be. I know before Drama, before being involved in high school Drama, I was just painfully shy, there was no self-confidence, no presence, and every room I was in, I would try and take up as little space as possible. And when I became involved in Drama, it was difficult, but I think the teachers that supported me, like Ms Parr, Mr Kelly, and even Ms Bye in the beginning as well, it's a great process of coaching you, gently helping you get out of your shell, and as you are growing up, you are going to go into the world, and that is really important to have - just being able to have presence and essentially to be able to fake it till you make it..."

Isabelle

"Another major formative moment in my high school Drama experience was the play that I was a part of in Grade 11 called Snow in Midsummer and I played the lead role of Dou Yi and that play was kind of just like an epic thing to take on...

...I just think it was so rich, and taking it on was, I think, the best decision I could have made, and I think over that period of time of doing that play - I changed the most, just me as a person, I developed the most, I developed the most confidence, in my skill and myself, and I got to develop so many of that key skills that an actor has to have...doing that play was just completely transformative, I mean, I just stopped for a moment, and realise how happy I am when performing, how happy I am when I'm doing a scene. And the principle of acting in itself is just a massive exercise in empathy and understanding human nature and understanding yourself and understanding each other and I think for me, everything clicked, in that moment, and I kind of realised 'yeah this is what I wanna do' and that's the power of being involved in even high school Drama productions or even high school Drama class - that's how powerful that sort of thing can be."

Isabelle

"At UWC, we really value teaching from a very young age about the skills and qualities at our school. So things like collaboration, communication, self management, critical thinking, and determination, perseverance, resilience etc, and all of the skills and qualities that are taught to us is a way we can exercise that through Theatre and through Drama. At university, I want to study Law, and I think that there could be no better opportunity to kind of practise those skills - those soft skills that we value at the school - through Drama. It's no better way than by actually doing Drama. And things like the presentation of the theatre, of performing in front of people is itself so important to practise before you do Law at university and the collaboration side is really important in being able to think on the spot, being able to communicate with one another effectively and efficiently and you know articulate well is so so crucial in Law and I think people often overlook this aspect of practising those soft skills before you go into studying different careers..." 

Ruby

"...I think Snow in Midsummer, directed by Ms Parr, was really kind of a turning point in how I viewed acting and Drama, because I began to see how older actors and my, sort of like, peers in school were really dedicating themselves to acting and their characters and it really gave me an example of by which to follow and it also really inspired me to put in a lot of effort into acting and Theatre and their sort of enjoyment and enthusiasm for it really sort of moved me and sparked my enthusiasm as well."

Emma

"My experience in Theatre has not been going on for very long, I've been doing it since GCSE. But from when I was younger, I had always been pretty terrified of Theatre, I had no clue what to do, it wasn't something that I've been doing for a long time. So I was very shy, I was very insecure, and I was like anxious to participate in anything like it. In Middle School, since it was like a mandatory subject, it was something that I had to do but then started figuring out that I really loved it - as I would always be very quiet in class, I didn't really say much, I just didn't really contribute much, but in Theatre you are kind of forced to and it's like a really core part of the subject... it pushed me outside of my comfort zone but also showed me something that I really love..." 

Wren 

"Ever since I started GCSE Drama, I sort of become a lot more confident mostly because of the space it sort of provided for me in terms of like the people that I interact with in class are always very supportive - Ms Parr, my Theatre teacher, is just so cool, and the space that we've created for ourselves is just so amazing, it's just so full of energy and acceptance. I don't think anybody can be afraid of judgement mostly just because everybody is having fun and we are experimenting with different things and yeah, I think it's very different sort of outside Drama class or sometimes in a regular class in the different blocks, it can be quite stressful sometimes, and I think Drama, for me, sort of provides a safe space to explore and sort of let out all of the emotions that sometimes I'm feeling because of like outside stress or anger and stuff like that..."

Sophia

"...When it comes to Drama as an IGCSE subject, it's really enjoyable and you really get to learn how to become a character and how to embody the personality through your movement, your actions, your words, and the creative process in Drama of devising and creating something that can connect to people is really amazing because you can learn so many things about yourself and the people around you and the process in which you can teach others valuable lessons in life without lecturing them about it. So taking Drama and Theatre as a subject in IGCSE has just been such an amazing experience and I found that during my time there, I really just lose myself in the subject, and time goes by like nothing because I just lose myself by becoming these new characters and creating something that I and other people can connect to." 

Hayley

"...I think that something that's so special about Drama is its collaborative nature and like how when you work with people, it doesn't just develop like within whatever production group you are doing or whatever group you have in Drama. I really feel like it builds relationships outside of that which I think is a really cool thing that you don't get in a lot of other subjects. And I think it is really interesting to see your characters interacting with each other while you as actors interact with each other and building those relationships within the play and outside of the play and how that all affects each other."

Ashwin

"...I realised that if you wanted to do something, and it would take up some time, you will be able to find time to do the other stuff that you need to do or you want to do. The communication that was required wasn't that hard to do, it wasn't hard to talk to teachers, it wasn't hard to work with myself or with groups on group work and on school work and it made it a lot easier cos' I knew what I was getting into before I joined Lord of the Flies. In terms of workload, it's not that hard, as long as you put in the effort for it and you want to do it, so yeah."

Sophia

Watch this information video to find out more about the 4 different student productions for this year's iteration of Student Theatre Festival! Sign up for an acting or production role by scanning the QR codes on the poster! Do note that sign-ups close on 28th August 2022 at 6pm!

"After the experience of doing a very lighthearted, whimsical play with younger students, I wanted to further extend myself out of my comfort zone, and direct a much darker, grittier play, with older students from Grade 11 and 12 who I selected from a casting process where I not only looked at their acting ability, but also their emotional maturity to handle some really dark themes in the script that I chose." 

Raniyah Basheer

"When choosing After Juliet, I kept in mind the fact that I've always wanted to do a full 'Verona' Shakespeare play, like I knew I wanted to do that, I wanted to be in that, and if I couldn't be in it, I wanted to give other people the chance to be in it."

Ella Grace Bithos 

"Personally, I feel that being able to direct a play is something that does not happen often and it really just creates a new opening to how you experience and see drama because it's completely different from how it works in class, and I think you really develop a lot of new skills."

India Steger and Tanuvi Kauffmann

"This year, the process was slightly different. So I went in and I was very clear that I wanted a non-naturalistic play, I wanted a play that was fun, had a lot of devising work, and a lot of ensemble presence. But the process started when I researched, and chose a play that came from my culture, because I wanted to have that influence and idea, however, unfortunately, we couldn't get license for it, and that began the long process through the summer of my search for the 'perfect' play to direct."

Nimisha Iyer 

"I've been part of productions in the past but what I really fell in love with [about Student Led] was the idea that it was all students, so the whole effort was very collaborative, and even though there were roles, they weren't as defined as you'd expect them to be and everyone sort of contributed to this process which is just this mix of ideas." 

Nimisha Iyer

"Probably for me, the most unique aspect was developing this leadership quality that I didn't really know I had."

Ella Grace Bithos

"I would say one of the most important skills that I gained from this, that I think we both gained, was the idea of what's it like to lead a group of people. In the drama class, when you are working on a production, you are working more of a collaborative sense so it's really important to keep in mind that everyone has a say, but as a director, it's your project." 

India Steger and Tanuvi Kauffmann

"The main challenge for me, at least, is just finding the right balance between what you go into the rehearsal with, so like a plan, but how you leave space for ideas to be changed, for ideas to be explored and transformed, and to just come in with some thoughts but being completely ready for the whole thing to be overturned." 

Nimisha Iyer

"It helped from the beginning that I knew kind of exactly the vibe, the aesthetic that I wanted for this production. I had a very clear idea in mind of what the set should look like, of what colour the costumes could be. To me, colour was actually the most important aspect of this production." 

Ella Grace Bithos

"At the beginning of my process as a director, I didn't really know exactly what set I wanted, what soundtracks, what lighting cues, but what I did have in mind was an atmosphere that I wanted to create." 

Raniyah Basheer

"And I think this is probably the best advice I've ever gotten but they told me: 'You're looking too much in theatre, look outside of theatre, see if you can find something beyond which can influence your idea, because that will make your idea more unique, or more niche.' And then, again, this was something I hadn't considered, which was connecting the different aspects of art together to see if I could come up with something more original." 

Nimisha Iyer

"Working with the people who didn't have as much experience or had no experience, honestly, it was so much fun, because we got to learn so much more about tech by working with them, and at the same time, they were able to bring in their own ideas into it, and getting an outsider perspective on theatre was really cool."

India Steger and Tanuvi Kauffmann

"I think when anybody reads a script or any sort of text, they all envision what's it going to look like in their head, and as a director, it was really an interesting experience to be able to take something that just existed internally and turn it into a physical reality and when you have that at the end of a production, it's a very emotionally overwhelming experience to be able to see that manifested." 

Raniyah Basheer

"Giving [the cast] the opportunity to also input their opinions about how they felt about the piece and I think, overall, this really really built a close relationship between us and the cast members and made it safe enough for them to just be free and not feel pressured to try things out which I really think helped develop them overall in this entire experience. And something a lot of them did say at the end, which I think we both really appreciate, is how much they loved the environment that we had created in the space."

India Steger and Tanuvi Kauffmann

"And I could see their faces as they felt the play start to come together and they started to look upon each other as an ensemble family, and really have this sense of community as we built the production from the ground up, quite literally, and it was just incredible watching to see this gift in an actor that they didn't even know that they had."

Ella Grace Bithos

"I think that process of working together and taking something, a rough figure of an idea and making it into a concrete performance, or making it into a concrete scene, is definitely very transformative just for them. And it is fun but also at the same time, it is slightly meditative and you have that freedom to explore your creativity."

Nimisha Iyer

"It was a really nice experience to watch 6 people who had never met each other before, grow to trust each other, and laugh with each other, and also cry with each other, be willing to open up about their mistakes and be vulnerable and rely on each other for help and I think that's an experience that's very unique to theatre to get that level of trust and collaboration in such a short time of only a few months."

Raniyah Basheer

"For me, my directing process was somewhat like a mosaic, I think that there were days where I felt like I was so under-qualified or like the whole world seemed to be working against me but there were days where I felt powerful and in control. It's in my nature, I love to help people, I love to see the smile on an actor's face when they know they've gotten it right or when they know they've absolutely nailed the scene."

Ella Grace Bithos

"In many other leadership scenarios, as a leader, you are expected to have everything figured out, you are meant to have an agenda and tell everyone exactly what to do, but when you are directing theatre, especially student led theatre, you don't need to know everything."

Raniyah Basheer

"Through creating the play, I think we experienced a lot of emotions, it was times of stress, especially at the beginning when we were trying to sort everything out because one thing that I don't think we both realised was just how much you were given at the beginning and just how tight the deadlines are. But we managed to do them quite quickly so that eased the stress and I think overall, there's a lot of excitement and you feel really relieved every time you see improvements and stuff and I think that's really nice." 

India Steger and Tanuvi Kauffmann

"For anyone whose considering getting involved in theatre productions, maybe as a director or maybe in some other role, know that you don't have to know what you are doing. I remember when I directed my first production of Arabian Nights in Grade 11, I didn't really even understand what directing entailed and it is something you can learn on the job."

Raniyah Basheer 

"As a potential future director, I say to you: 'You've got this, you do, it's true'. I didn't think I had it, but I will not regret it, for the rest of my life, I will not regret it, this has been amazing and I highly recommend that you embark on this incredible journey and you won't regret it."

Ella Grace Bithos

"It is actually quite important because I think the way you approach a rehearsal really changes and shapes how your process is... and it also depends on the play that you are working with." 

Nimisha Iyer

"Tanuvi and I, something that we did was co-direct, which really helped in balancing out that pressure, and you always feel like you have someone to back you up. So there's many different options for you to take, and even maybe taking assistant director is a possibility, which I was about to take as well, you know, so there's endless and endless possibilities for someone to take and there's a massive amount of support so there is no stress really needed."

India Steger and Tanuvi Kauffmann