Figure 1.--.
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Figure 1.--. |
Theatricals are persued at all schools, although the emphasis varies from school to scchool. Theatricals can take a variety of forms. The most obvious is the traditional school play.
The major experience with drama occurs in work on school plays. Virtually every school has at least one production annually and offten there are a variety of other productions to provide opportunities for children in different levels of the school. There are also seasonasl presentations. In addition there may be drama nights which generally meanss performances by the different forms or even clubs.
These plays are often very popular with the children and provide a range of useful experiences. Some schools have a drama club. We also notice film societies at the schools. This tends to be a popular activity as it primarily involves watching movies.
Some schools have a drama club. I'm not sure how common this activity was. They commonly work on productions presented at school, such as drama nights where the various forms also make productions.
The most obvious and important school drama event is the traditional school play. Every prep school puts on a least one big performance each year. This is a little tricky as the school has to choose a play with lots of different parts suitable for children so many children can participate. Often the older children dominate the major school play, but there may be a middle and/or junior school play as well. This rather depends on the size of the school and the emphasis given to dramatics.
In addition there may be drama nights which generally meanss performances by the different forms or even clubs. Some schools have a drama club. We also notice film societies at the schools. These plays are often very popular with the children and provide a range of useful experiences.
There are also seasonasl presentations. The most important here are the Christmas presentations. Many schools have some sort of nativity play.
Puppetry is a largely, but perhaps not purely a theatrical activity, but this seems the best place to archive it. We were not lucky enough to come accross a puppetry group, but we note it as an activity at several schools. It is an activity that attracts both boys and girls. It has the advantage that it is an activity that can be persued at minimal costs. Plays can be put on with much less effort than a regular dramatic production. And it provides an opprtunity for the younger children to get involved.
Many prep schools show videos on Saturday night. This tends to be a popular activity as it primarily involves watching movies. Usually the films are chosen by the headmaster or other member of staff for them, but they can usually lobby for a film. This is usually a recreation more than a activity. A few schools have film societies where they see classic movies and then discuss the artistc merits o other aspects of the film. This used to be a rare treat because of the cost of renting a film. The coming of VCRs by the late 1970s and CDs in the 1990s made the expense negligible and greated increased the variety of fi,s available.
There is a lot involved in producing a play besides the acting. One aspect that seems to interest some of the children, mostly the boys, is lighting. Some boys are too interested in acting, but are very interested in the lighting associated with the technology and techniques associated with the lighting and sound systems. Lighting in particular can signifcantly add to the dramatic affects and some boys find this more interesting than the actual play.
