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Henry Kendall High School

Henry Kendall High School

Developing confident, responsible citizens who strive for excellence.

Telephone02 4325 2110

Emailhenrykenda-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

What's Happening In Drama

Drama comes to another successful end for Term 3!

I am incredibly proud of all my kids as they have all stepped up and produced the most astounding work which was showcased at PAN 2014. I was asked by a parent that night what Drama could offer his son as he felt that it was a waste of his son's time. I found this old article that I have cut down that explains why I think Drama and the theatre is wonderful for all students. The full article is available to read at:

http://tomvanderwell.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/10-ways-being-a-theatre-major-prepared-me-for-success/

 

Here are 10 ways being a theatre major helped me succeed:

Improvisation. The great thing about the stage is that when it's live and you're up in front of that audience anything can, and does happen. Dropped lines, missed entrances, or malfunctioning props require you to improvise while maintaining your cool. Theatre taught me how to focus, think quickly and make do while giving the impression that you've got it all under control. It's served me well when clients, airlines, co-workers, or technology wreak unexpected havoc at the worst possible moment.

Project Management. A stage production is basically a business project. You have teams of people making up one team working to successfully accomplish a task on time, on budget in such a way that you earn the applause and an occasional standing ovation. Being taught to stand at the helm of a theatrical production was a project management practicum.

Working With a Limited Budget. Everybody who has worked on stage knows that it's not the road to fortune. Most plays are produced on a shoestring budget. This forces you to be imaginative, do more with less and find creative ways to get the results you want without spending money. Ask any corporate manager and they'll tell you that this pretty much describes their job. Mine too.

Dealing With Very Different Human Beings. The theatrical community is a mash-up of interesting characters. It always has been. From fringe to freakish to frapppucino sipping socialites and everything in between, you're going to encounter the most amazing and stimulating cross-section of humanity when you work in theatre. in my business career I have the unique and challenging task of walking in the CEO's office in the morning to present our findings in an executive summary presentation and to receive a high level grilling. I will then spend the afternoon presenting the same data to overworked, underpaid, cynical front-line employees and get a very different grilling. Theatre taught me how to appreciate, understand and effectively communicate with a widely diverse group of human beings.

Understanding the Human Condition. Most people have the mistaken impression that acting is all about pretending and being "fake" in front of others. What I learnt as a theatre major was that good actors learn the human condition intimately through observation and painfully detailed introspection. The better you understand that the human being you are portraying from the inside out, the better and more authentic your performance is going to be. In my business I am constantly using the same general methods to understand my clients, their customers as well as myself and my co-workers. I believe that having a better understanding of myself and others has ultimately made me a better (though far from perfect) employee, consultant, employer and ultimately friend. I didn't learn methods of observing and understanding others in Macro Econ, I learnt it in Acting 1 and Acting 11.

Doing Whatever Needs To Be Done. When you're a theatre major at a small liberal arts college there is little room for specialising within your field. You have to learn to do it all. Light design, sound engineering, acting, directing, producing, marketing, PR, set design, set construction, ticket sales, budgeting, customer service, ushering, make-up, and costuming are all things I had to do as part of my college career. Within our merry band of theatre majors we all had to learn every piece of a production because at some point we would be required to do what needed to be done. I learnt that I can capably do just about anything that I need to do. I may not love it and I may not be gifted of excellent at it, but give me a task and I'll figure it out. I now work for a small consulting firm that requires me to do a wide range of tasks. The experience, can-do attitude and indomitable spirit I learnt in the theatre have been essential to success.

Hard Work. I remember creating a tree for one of our college shows. We had no idea how we were going to do it, but we made an amazing life-like tree that emerged from the stage and looked as if it disappeared into the ceiling above the theatre. My team mates and I cut out each and every leaf and individually hot glued them to the branches of the tree. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of them glued on while standing precariously on a rickety ladder. Sleepless nights, burnt fingers and a few brushes with tragedy were needed to get that tree done. But, we got it done. It was fabulous. And a few days later we tore it down, threw it out, and got ready for the next production. C'est la vie. In business I have periods of time with unbelievable workloads in which there are sleepless night, seemingly endless days and tireless work on projects that will be presented and then will be over. The report will be archived and I'm onto the next project. C'est la vie. I learnt all about that as a theatre major.

Making Difficult Choices. You've got four parts and twenty four schoolmates who auditioned. Some of them are your best friends and fellow theatre majors. Do you choose the inexperienced jock because he's best for the part or the friend and fellow theatre major who you fear will never talk to you again if you don't cast him? My senior project was supposed to be performed outside in the amphitheatre but the weather was cold, windy and miserable. Do I choose to stick with the plan because it's what my actors are comfortable with and it's what we've rehearsed and it will only stress out the cast and crew to change the venue at the last minute? Or, do I choose to thing about the audience who will be more comfortable and might actually pay attention and appreciate the performance if they are inside. (I changed the venue). Any business person will tell you that difficult decisions must sometimes be made. The higher the position the harder the decisions and the more people those decisions affect. Being a theatre major gave me a taste of what I would have to digest in my business career.

Presentation Skills. Okay, it's a no brainer but any corporate employee can tell you horror stories of having to endure long training sessions or corporate presentations by boring, unprepared, incompetent or just plain awful presenters. From what I've experienced, individuals who can stand up confidently in front of a group of people and capably, effectively communicate their message while even being motivating and a little entertaining are among the rarest individuals in the business world. Being a theatre major helped be be one of them.

Doing the Best You Can With What You've Got. Over the years I've told countless front line service reps that this is rule  #1 of customer service. You do the best you can with what you've got to work with. I remember an Acting 1 class in college in which a pair of students got up to present a scene they'd prepared. They presented the scene on a bare stage with no lighting, make-up, costumes, props or set pieces. It was just two students acting out the script. It was one of those magic moments that happen with live theatre. The rest of the class were transfixed and pulled into the moment, reacting with surprising emotion to what they witnessed. You don't need Broadway theatrics to create a magical theatrical moment on stage. You don't even need a stage. The same is true of customer service. You don't always need the latest technology, the best system, or the greatest whiz bang doo-dads. A capable CSR doing the best they can and serving a customer with courtesy, empathy, friendliness and a commitment to resolve can and does win customer satisfaction and loyalty.

 

Food for thought ........ Good luck Year 12 and parents. I will miss you all greatly.

Rebecca Cooper - Drama Teacher