CANVAS BAG DRAMA
Production week for the Merivale and Halswell Campus are held in Term 3 every year. South Brighton has their Canvas Bag Theatre Production Week in Term 4. Dates will be relayed to parents at the beginning of the year.
Plays are original scripts devised and written by individual tutors for each group and are designed to showcase the skills of the students. Every class rehearses over the 9 week term and then performs to an audience of parents and friends in a local theatre.
Long long ago when all the stories on earth belonged to Nyame the Sky God, Ananse the spiderman spun a web up to the sky to bargain for a share of the stories. How he outwitted a fierce leopard, 47 stinging hornets, and a mischievous troupe of invisible fairies to meet the sky god’s demands, have made it possible for all of us to receive the wonderful gift of storytelling.
Long ago when the world was new, the kiwi lived in the treetops with the other birds and sang and played all day long. But when a plague of insects threatens to destroy the mighty forest, Tane calls upon the birds to save the precious trees. But the birds are too busy organising Twitter Fashion Week to take any notice. Who will respond to Tane and Mother Nature, and what sacrifices will need to be made?
Welcome to Elf City, the magical home of fairies, pixies, leprechauns and even trolls. The King of Elf City announces an exciting painting competition. Can Jack Frost outwit the scheming trolls? Watch and see how with the help of the good fairy Crystal, Jack is able to make the world beautiful.
When Rabbit, ever the optimist, rescues Chameleon from a thorny bush he gets an amazing gourd that fills itself with absolutely anything you want. In the most terrible drought he is now able to feed his starving family. But Mansa Juga the greedy king steals the gourd and is only interested in acquiring riches for himself. This story is about generosity, friendship and the true meaning of wealth.
Maui is a superhero, powerful, smart, a genius and a delinquent!
This Maori folktale of Maui and the sun is retold and embellished with students’ imaginings and uses a blend of classic story telling, drama, music, chanting, and dance. Within the framework of the tale, students have devised scenes working from an improvised base and then reconstructed, refined and finally written their own scenes. This process has demanded a high level of creativity, risk taking and group collaboration.
Key roles are shared, the many facets of Maui’s personality are explored and we are always working towards creating truthful, believable roles. The script is fluid and constantly changes allowing for new ideas and imaginings to be manifested. I am proud of the students’ endeavours, level of co-operation and our final product.
