Finding our way Home

By administrator | 27 March 2019

St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School has been exploring the Home exhibition at State Library to inspire assessment pieces for a “Museum Theatre” class. Here Drama Teacher Nicole Jones reflects on what the process has been like, and how a creative investigation of State Library’s collection items has inspired deep and engaged learning.

February

Home

Arriving in the exhibition entryway, students were staggered by the sheer number of photographs captured by Frank and Eunice Corley, and were taken by the simplicity of the black and white images produced by the couple in the 1960s and 1970s. Some students had previously identified their own homes online and were keen to find them within the exhibition.

The vast array of items within the exhibition provided rich stimulus for students to respond to in their performances. They engaged with the digital stories of the homeowners, were captivated by the soundscape images, got lost in virtual reality and were in awe of the artwork by Ian Strange. This afternoon gave them the opportunity to explore, question and challenge their ideas, and provided great inspiration for their creative process.

The students’ challenge in the planning process is devising a performance for an unfamiliar space, with limited props and settings. Through this they develop creative skills in order to establish time and place, and use the space effectively in presenting their scenes.

March

Home

Individuals have explored different time periods, childhood memories and family structures to plan for their dramatic action. Each group has focused on the idea of what “home” means to different people, and imagining the lives of the families who lived in each house.

Now that they are engaged in the creative process, the blocking of their scenes should soon be completed so that they can begin rehearsing and polishing, ready to perform!