Year 13 Waiting for Godot
Year 13 Waiting for Godot
June 07, 2017 at 3:06 PM
The NCEA Level 3 Drama curriculum calls for students to demonstrate their understanding of theatre in a variety of ways. The Assessment Standard 3.6 requires Year 13 students ‘to prepare for and perform a substantial acting role that must have had sufficient depth and length to allow them to make a meaningful contribution to the play.’
Each year our senior drama classes perform their assessment pieces to an audience in the intimate setting of the ‘JPC,’ an open space that lends itself particularly well to these short, often edgy productions that push the boundaries for the students and audience alike. This year the group is studying the theatre form, ‘Theatre of the Absurd’ and chose Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ as their performance piece.
‘Absurd Theatre’ implies that the piece is meant to be irrational, without pre-conceived concepts of drama, chronological plot, logical language, themes or recognisable settings. A tragi-comedy in two acts, ‘Waiting for Godot’ was voted by the British Royal National Theatre as the ‘most significant English language play of the 20th century.’
Viewed as fundamentally existentialist in its take on life, and in keeping with Beckett’s other work that often focused on ‘the suffering of being,’ most of the play is centred on two key characters, Estragon and Vladimir, who are waiting for ‘Godot.’ Vladimir represents the intellect and Estragon the body, both of whom cannot exist without the other. Without form or function, ‘Godot’ can be understood as one many things in life that people wait for. Taking their turn in pairs, the two key roles were seamlessly shared by the students, as they took on the struggle to prove their own existence.
To clarify their understanding of the production and their role within it, the students were required to submit an initial statement of intention for the interpretation of their role and an annotated extract from a part of the script where their role was prevalent. They were then assessed individually on how well they performed their acting role in the play.
In developing their roles, students were asked to consider their function within the action of the play, how they would describe their role in relationship to the ideas of the play and what purpose their role played in communicating the key messages.
With minimal props and costuming, the drama was stripped bare to place the focus on the actors and their stage craft; their ability to not only deliver their lines but to use complex dramatic skills to fully engage their audience. Well done to the Year 13’s for a great night of entertainment.
The second show will take place tonight, Wednesday 7 June at 7pm in the Jack Paine Centre, free of charge.
