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HSC Drama – The Final Act

by Rita Morabito Director of Dramatic Arts

On Monday 24 August, the Year 12 Drama students completed their performance and major work journeys. Performances were presented to the panel of NESA examiners and to an audience of Year 9-11 Drama students. Sixty per cent of their HSC Drama examination is now over. They have all worked incredibly hard to complete a variety of high-quality works.

 

A person in a patterned Renaissance-style dress with a ruffled collar stands on stage, arms outstretched, in front of black curtains, capturing the intensity of the Final Act during their A-level Drama performance.
A person with pale skin, grey curly hair, red glasses, and a floral shirt looks directly at the camera against a black background, capturing the intensity of a Final Act in an HSC Drama performance.
Six people in black and yellow outfits perform an acrobatic group pose on a dark stage, reminiscent of a climactic scene from The Final Act in HSC Drama, with some supporting others who are climbing or balancing on top of them.
An elderly woman with grey hair and glasses stands behind an orange sofa with a colourful crocheted blanket, looking upset, as if awaiting the Final Act. Black curtains serve as the background, reminiscent of an A-level Drama performance.
A person in a peach lace dress, holding a bottle and a small handbag, stands beside an empty armchair on a stage with black curtains and stage lights above, poised for their HSC Drama final performance.
A group of thirteen people stand on a stage with black curtains, dressed mostly in black and white. One person raises both arms, and a beige armchair sits on the left. The group smiles, posing after their HSC Drama performance.
Four people on a stage, dressed in black with coloured scarves, hold their hands to their heads like animal ears, performing in front of a dark brick wall under stage lights—an expressive moment from their HSC Drama final act.
A person stands on a stage in front of a brick wall, reading from a small book. Bathed in purple light from the window behind them, they prepare for their HSC Drama Final Act, with a white wooden chair positioned to the right.
Four people on stage wear black outfits with coloured ties, presenting what appears to be the Final Act of their A-level Drama performance. They stand in a row, holding hands or extending arms as they perform or gesture, set against a grey brick wall with a window and a door in the background.
Four people in white clothes pose in a pyramid shape on a dark stage in what looks like the Final Act of an A-level Drama performance. Three kneel or squat, while one sits atop the others. All have their arms out and are smiling or making expressive faces.
A person holding a violin and bow stands in front of a screen displaying International Day 2026 and blurred images, with drums and a piano in the background, capturing the anticipation of the Final Act at an HSC Drama event.
A person in fancy dress stands on stage with a coiled horn over their shoulder, embodying the intensity of The Final Act, in front of a dark brick wall and windows lit with purple light.
A person in ornate white robes stands on stage beside a wooden chair and a book, gesturing with one hand, against a dark background—capturing the intensity of the Final Act in an HSC Drama performance.
Six people in black outfits with orange scarves form a creative group pose, reminiscent of a Final Act in an HSC Drama exam. Some are kneeling whilst others climb and reach over each other, creating a dynamic scene against a dark stage backdrop.
Four people dressed in white raise their arms and look upward, performing on stage with expressive faces against a dark background—a powerful moment from the HSC Drama Final Act.
A person in a green jacket and beige jumper stands holding a broom, with a serious expression, as if preparing for the Final Act in an HSC Drama performance, in front of a black brick wall and window.
A group of people, mostly dressed in black, stand in a circle on a dimly lit stage whilst a woman in a white top leads an exercise, preparing for their Final Act in the HSC Drama performance.
A person in a white robe kneels beside a chair on a dark stage, hands clasped in prayer. A small table with a closed book sits nearby, with black curtains in the background—capturing the intensity and emotion of an HSC Drama final act.

Students must work together in small groups to create an original performance. The Group Performance is very much the culmination of their years of study in Drama. This year, one GP investigated the growing impact of AI, another critiqued the current Australian political landscape, and another explored a family’s life of privilege ( the Wasps) in Thatcher’s 1980’s England, contrasted against workers (worker bees) and their families. These intelligent performances demonstrated students’ critical engagement with the world around them, their physical skills, ensemble work, character development, transformational acting skills and their wonderful creativity.

These were followed by diverse Individual Performances which included original, scripted and adapted works. Each student displayed grit and determination to embody their characters, tell their stories and take us on a journey into the characters’ lives.

At the end of the day, students who chose to explore the Submitted Projects options handed over their works. This year we had some stunning Costume Designs for three different plays, one Portfolio of Theatre Criticism and one Script.

The showcase night in the Commedia Playhouse the week before their examination was filled with families, friends and staff who came to support this exceptional cohort of dedicated, caring, collaborative, tenacious students.

Bravo Year 12!
Ms Morabito

 

Group Performances

Angelic Intelligence
Connor R, Gretel D, Kai H, Leon C

Who Let the Dogs In?
Orla O’ R, Zoe B, Edie S, Alexandra O

Honey Troubles
Matilda B, Anna M, Oscar F, Margot M, Alice M R, Brooke V

 

Individual Performances

Star Crossed Love – Connor R
Charolais – Orla O’ R
Prey for God’s Love – Anna M
Crossing Currents – Leon C
A Cream Cracker under the Settee – Matilda B
The Last Laugh – Gretel D
See Me – Kai H
Boot – Zoe B
A Handbag – Oscar F

 

Individual Submitted Projects

Scriptwriting
Would You Still Love Me If I Were A Worm? A Play In The Subjunctive Mood by Edie S

Critical Analysis – Theatre Reviews
Four Reviews by Alexandra O

Costume Design
The Visit – Brooke V
Waltzing the Willara – Margot M
Mr Burns – A Post-Apocalyptic Play – Alice M R

 

Year 11 Drama reflected on some moments from performances at HSC Day

Tilly’s performance “A cream cracker under the seete” showed her playing an older woman; her tense, slow and drained movements were extremely convincing. Her careful balance of humorous moments and quiet sadness evoked pathos and made me empathise with her character. This was well complemented with strong comedic timing and witty delivery.
–  Genevieve

Zoe’s performance was quite intense. She manipulated the tension to the point that I was shocked as she described the accident. The way that Zoe caught the audience’s attention with her acting was incredible.
– Ingrid

“Honey Troubles”, presents a powerful message about socioeconomic imbalances in the world through satire. The piece used two main character groups: workers, characterised as bees, and an upper-class, rather uptight family – characterised as wasps. The piece establishes a strong, moving working environment from the second the lights are brought up. Performers are stationed in a triangular formation that overwhelms the space, giving the impression that the entire stage is built up by these worker bees. This allows audiences to believe the given circumstances of unfairness and struggle in a seemingly endless cycle of churning. They use acapella vocalisation as they build a physical structure with their bodies that mimics machinery. Four actors stack atop each other to create a centred structure, and two actors use their central costuming prop of scarves tucked into belts. Vocalisation eventually amps up to a spoken word version of “Under Pressure” with comic changes to lyrics to make it further relevant to their purpose of projecting a lower-class, tired group.
– Matilda

Watching the 2026 year 12 Drama HSC pieces was a very inspirational and helpful experience as a year 11 student who is preparing to do the same thing this time next year. The program consisted of 3 GPs and 9 IP monologues that showcased the extraordinary talent of this year’s year 12 students. What I felt worked really well in the GPs was the fast pace, humour, physical theatre, and the sophisticated use of multi-role playing. What worked in the IP monologues was the believability and truthfulness of the characters, the comedic timing, and the use of space.
– Ivy

Orla’s performance as a farmer’s wife showed her diligent vocal control and prop utilisation. Her use of the broom acted as a driving force in propelling her story and making it more engaging. In describing the final validation from her spouse’s mother and the subsequent death of the mother, her vocal control was used with careful beat implementation and rhythmic pacing, which created an emotionally deep but humorous character.

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