Drama Students go on Tour!

With thanks to Head of Drama, Jess Acheson

Performing a show based on the children’s book, ‘One More Sheep’ and touring aroundAuckland preschools, students from the Senior College Extension Drama Programme made their debut at Saint Kentigern Preschool last week.

Entertained by top drama students from the Senior College, the preschoolers watched the story of Sam the famer (Sam Ashton) and his five sheep (Jack Horsnell, Callahan Jones, Amelia Elliott, Hannah Hughes and Matthew Turner) unfold.

Sam finds comfort in counting his sheep before he goes to bed every night to make sure they are safe, the only trouble being, he can never get through all five without falling asleep! This becomes an issue when a wolf (Thomas Webster) sneaks in!

Firing up their imagination, the youngsters laughed and cheered with joy throughout the performance as the Drama students gave them endless opportunities to get involved, be curious, empathise with the characters and sing, dance and howl along to some of their favourite songs.

The Year 13 Extension Drama Programme caters for passionate and aspiring Drama students who want to be challenged, preparing them for further Drama study at either a tertiary level or within the industry. It is an extension to the current NCEA academic pathway and offers greater depth of study and a variety of topics that are not part of the current NCEA requirements, such as Screen Acting, Musical Theatre and Physical Theatre. 

The programme caters for many styles of performance with the students engaging in an extensive programme, including professional workshops, excursions and incursions, performances within the College as well as in the local and wider community. Students apply to be part of the programme and successful applicants are required to sit the NZQA Scholarship Examination in Term 4. All applications are considered by the Head of Drama, along with the other academic Drama staff and Itinerant Drama staff before selection is made. 

A number of our Drama students are considering acting as a career and often young actors start by putting on a children’s show and touring it. This show was a great opportunity for our students to experience what a professional ‘gig’ would be like outside the familiarity of the Saint Kentigern performance spaces.

Opportunities such as this, allow them to gain leadership and communication skills by managing the 'tour' and contacting the venue, setting up the sets in a new space they haven't been to before, run the show, and pack down. They also connect with children and adults they have never met before, yet have a lasting positive impact on them. This exercise, therefore, pushes them out of their comfort zone ad helps build confidence in and outside of the classroom.

Head of Drama, Jess Acheson encouraged the students to perform in front of preschool children rather than primary school students, as it presents more of a challenge. The students needed to target their piece to a group of 3 to 4 year olds, making their actions and script simpler and bigger!

All students performed at their best and put on a well-polished, fun, energetic and professional show that they can be proud of! Well done!

We wish the students the of luck as they continue their tour!