News
At Fintona we value opportunities for students to engage with contemporary theatre practice and develop their skills through collaboration. The willingness and ability to look outside oneself for inspiration and guidance are key to fulfilling one’s potential as an artist.
In Term 1, Year 4, Year 8 and VCE Drama students worked with Red Leap, an internationally acclaimed New Zealand theatre company known for its physical and visually engaging storytelling. Across a week-long residency, artists Ella and Paddy guided students through key stages of drama learning, supporting them to explore, develop and refine their performance work.
For Year 4, students participated in a full-day workshop exploring a selected story. Through activities such as brainstorming, improvisation and reflection, they learnt how to transform text into dramatic action. This stage of the process supported the students in building ideas and establishing a strong foundation for performance.
For Year 8, the focus shifted to audience perspective, which is foundational to their theatre-making style. Students developed an understanding of how to shape meaning and mood through composition and staging choices, expanding their ability to engage an audience.
For VCE Drama students, the workshop marked the beginning of their Ensemble Performance. Working with texts including The Odyssey, Blithe Spirit and Lord of the Flies, students collaborated in small groups, applying Red Leap’s devising methods to create new works. The use of physical theatre, design elements and varied stimuli supported a dynamic and productive start to this major assessment.
Working alongside professional artists provided students with practical insight into contemporary theatre-making and the creative process of developing new work. It also encouraged them to apply these approaches within their own performances.
Learning collaboratively with these world-class artists was an extraordinary experience for all students and teachers involved and provided practical insight into Red Leap’s philosophy of devising new works, supporting students in applying these ideas to their own performances.
