The Class 8 students will present William Shakespeare’s wonderful comedy, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ on Thursday 10 April outdoors amongst the trees in the beautiful Parkerville campus at 11.30am and 6.30pm. 

The play is one of Shakespeare’s most hilarious comedies exploring the ups and downs of love through the interface of the fairy and human world, as seen in the relationships of nobility and the more common crafts people. Audiences will be  delighted with the regal and noble characters, Theseus and Hippolyta, the magic of Titania Queen of the Fairies and Oberon King of the Fairies and Oberon’s key assistant Puck also known as Robin Goodfellow, the youthfulness of the lovers Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius, and of course the great hilarity of the well-meaning but ever bumbling mechanicals who perform ‘the most lamentable comedy’ of Pyramus and Thisbe!  

The students have worked diligently on the memorization of lines, extending themselves through character connection and embracing the challenges of speaking confidently in Elizabethan verse! The process of building a play with believable characters and developing skills in storytelling through dramatic action encourages students to step outside their comfort zones and activate their imaginations. The inner transformation and shifts that take place when we engage and foster our imaginations are significant qualities of Steiner education, and it is wonderful to see this evident in the Class 8 students. 

During the Main Lesson we focused on and applied a range of theatre and performance skills and understandings such as the learning of lines, speaking in verse, managing the rhythms of Elizabethan language, understanding the significance of expressive gesture, moving with intention and interacting meaningfully with other characters, playing music, learning about costume, make up and staging to create an immersive theatre production and experience for a live audience. The Main Lesson process is a deep dive which will culminate in a wonderfully magical and beautiful performance from Class 8. We congratulate and acknowledge the students on their focus and engagement and the support of many creative and hardworking staff such as Katina Bay for Music, Janice Still for Costumes, Simon Griffiths for set construction, Ivett Larrea as Teacher Assistant, Katie Turner, Hayley Spracklen and Ethna Brave. In addition to staff, I extend my gratitude to the wonderful and caring support of Class 8 parents. 

Jane Diamond 

Drama Teacher