Along with eight other Class of 2020 IGS Drama students, Ilse was recently nominated for HSC Drama showcase OnSTAGE for her individual performance of Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer.
“I felt as though it showcased my dramatic abilities well,” she said.
“The character is complex and challenged me to explore ideas and images that I hadn’t considered before from a dramatic lens.
“I wanted to do a challenging piece. The process of becoming my character, Catherine, is something I really enjoyed; from workshopping with Drama teachers and finding the costume, to researching the way she moved and spoke.”
Ilse, who began Drama at International Grammar School in Year 9, said she was a performative child and “always loved the idea of studying Drama up until the HSC.”
Ilse said Drama was an exciting course to undertake, being just one of the very few HSC subjects where you can perform.
“It was so different from other major works in that you work all year towards the one performance,” she said. “The final performance was like saying goodbye to our characters.”
Ilse said she was surprised and honoured to be nominated for OnStage.
“I was so excited when I found out,” she said. “A few of my friends were also nominated and we’re all just really proud of each other.
“Everyone who did Drama at IGS did such a fantastic job. The fact that we got eight nominations was so amazing.”
Ilse said Drama at IGS has helped her become confident, and more conscious of the world around her, as well as building skills in teamwork and collaboration.