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Mia Denton held the role of a stereotypically
inarticulate hostess and was accompanied by
many others, including Kayla Liedenberg, Mitch
Matyana and Scott Moreau, who exemplified
diverse talents, including singing and dancing!
This effective parody was organized very
well and toed the line, demonstrating their
understanding of the genre.
After two comedies,
Yale
took us for a
spin with their terrifying take of The Game
Show. This was not for the feint-hearted.
LuellaVraagom, as the sinister and mysterious
game show host, beguiled the audience with
her surreptitious behaviour. Yale won the
hearts of the audience through the medium
of dance, which was a spectacle of precision
and incomparable skill.The dancers were
from Grades 7, 10 and 11, including Saskia
Clements,Tamsyn Ruhl and Nicole Roux who
contributed to the already eerie atmosphere.
Lastly,
Cambridge’s
play
demonstrated why their house was number
one! An exemplary script and a well-chosen
cast performed a novel interpretation of one
of Shakespeare’s most infamous comedies,
Much Ado About Nothing.This play highlighted
some of the typical difficulties that occur
when searching for love, including admittance
and expression of feelings… as well as the
interference of friends! This light-hearted play,
directed by Nicol Steyn, Luke Fourie and Brad
Africa, ticked all the boxes with extraordinary
acting, great costumes and imagination.
Thanks to all involved for making the House
Plays a terrific success this year, but especially
to Anthony Peters, Judith Herbig, Cathy
Dodders and the technical crew.
One-Act Plays
2013
Parklands College presented two one-act
plays in the Minor Hall in March, directed by
Judith Herbig and Cathy Dodders. The venue
was ideal for small plays and we were very
fortunate to acquire some new furniture for
the Drama Department before this event.The
plays presented were as follows:
If Sherlock Holmes
was a woman by Tim
Kelly - Shirley Holmes is named after the
famous sleuth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
fame and is a fanatic on mystery and crime.
Her big chance comes when the housemother
in her dorm is found dead under peculiar
circumstances. Shirley, determined to solve the
crime, locks all the girls in the communal study
and tries to find the “murderer.”
The Monkey’s Paw
byW.W. Jacobs adapted
for the stage by Cathy Dodders -
This play is a supernatural tale of a family
who discovers the hidden realities of wish
fulfillment.The paw of a dead monkey grants
its possessor three wishes, but the wishes
come with an enormous price for interfering
with fate.
We look forward to more dramatic plays
in the Minor Hall as it gives the learners an
opportunity to showcase their acting talents.
Judith Herbig
Othello
South African
Shakespeare Schools Festival
This year, for the first time, the FET Drama
learners participated in the festival at the
Artscape with an abridged version of Othello,
under the direction of Cathy Dodders.The
thirty minute script posed a great challenge
to the young performers, to which they rose
admirably. Rehearsals began in February
and included a Master Class in Speaking
Shakespeare with Liz Mills. Ms Mills is a
highly esteemed voice coach and renowned
Shakespearean vocal expert. She has worked
with the Royal Shakespeare Company and
Central School of Drama in London, as well
as held the position of senior lecturer in voice
at UCT for many years.The performance was
one of four Shakespeare plays performed on
the night and our learners shone. It was with
immense pride that we watched our peers
perform on the professional stage with such
confidence and grace.The learning opportunity
granted to our learners through participating
in the festival has added to their understanding
of the demands of the profession.The high
levels of professionalism exhibited by the
festival organizers and the Artscape team for a
‘school’s festival’ inspired the cast to perform
their work with pride. Congratulations to all of
you on your hard work.
Trinity Speech
and Drama
After many months of preparation, the
ten eager Trinity Speech and Drama Grade
Examination candidates successfully completed
their first exams under the tutelage of Ms
Cathy Dodders and Ms Judith Herbig.The
candidates were examined on the afternoon
of 25 October by an international examiner,
Mr Peter Creegan, and then performed in a
showcase that evening for their friends and
family. It was an evening filled with delightful
entertainment and the learners shone as
they performed extracts from plays, novels
and poetry learned in preparation for
the examination.The results were equally
outstanding, with no less than three Diplomas
(over 85%) and four Merits (over 75%) being
awarded to these talented novices. Special
mention goes to Zintle Mayaphi, who achieved
a placement in the top ten in the province, and
Nicol Steyn, who was awarded a silver medal
for the highest mark achieved from Grades 6
- 8. Congratulations to each and every one of
you on a job well done.
