Senior Drama students recently attended the NESA OnStage showcase of excellence at the Seymour Centre, an excursion designed to deepen their understanding of the standards set for HSC Performance and Submitted Projects.
The experience provided a powerful insight into the creativity, discipline and expressive potential of contemporary student theatre. Across group and individual performances, design showcases and script readings, students encountered a diverse range of theatrical styles, themes and techniques that both entertained and challenged audiences.
Many students were particularly drawn to the energy and humour of performances such as Red, White and Screw’d and Vax or Fiction, while others highlighted the inventive script reading An Extremely Melodramatic Prologue for its clever reimagining of Shakespeare through modern comedy. The physical theatre of State of Mind, the vocal intensity of Can You Hear Me?, and the detailed design work featured throughout the exhibition also left strong impressions.
Reflecting on the excursion, students described the showcase as “an incredible experience to help hone in on what I want to do for the HSC” and “a unique experience that showed how drama can be used to connect viewers to other people’s stories and experiences.” Many noted the evident dedication behind each performance, as well as the inspiration drawn from the high level of costume, lighting, set and conceptual design.
Overall, OnStage offered Senior Drama students not only a celebration of excellence in HSC Drama, but also meaningful motivation as they continue developing their own major works.
Students Thoughts
“The Onstage experience was so amazing. It had all different types of performances but my favourite was the last one called Red, White and Screw’d. The energy in all of the performances was very clear, and it really showed how much they love to perform. The costumes were very out there but also it fitted the performance style perfectly.” – Ingrid
“Onstage was an incredible experience to help hone in on what I want to do for the HSC. My personal favourite was Red, White and Screw’d due to its comedic timing and being very topical in our modern world. Looking at the posters and set design ideas, mainly from Mr Burns – A Post-Electric Play, it was absolutely gorgeous costume and lighting ideas that really inspired me to potentially do a design for my final piece.
All in all, it was a very inspiring experience with almost none of the content shown to us failed to leave an impression. Thank you for the experience, Ms!” – Fin.
“I could see the time and effort put into every piece of theatre and every design I saw. What stood out to me most was the moving reading of a script, written by a student and performed by actors, called A Very Melodramatic Prologue. This piece felt so authentically funny, an almost parody or reimagining of the story of the famous playwright Shakespeare. The script used modern, fast-paced comedy, verging on dark comedy at points. This is then set in the context of a familiar place to all those who study theatre, referencing well known Shakespeare stories and emphasising their absurdities.” – Elin
“I loved watching the variety of different performances at OnStage, from the group comedy pieces, to the short films, to the emotional-rollercoaster monologues. Through each piece, I noticed how the actors were intensely focused, using lots of energy with complete conviction in their characters, making the performances highly engaging.” – Alice
“Onstage was a really cool and fun experience with each performance having it’s own unique charm. What stood out for me was the Shakespeare performance called An Extremely Melodramatic Prologue. This performance stood out to me for many reasons including, how despite the actors all having scripts in hand they were all able to captivate the audience, the wacky costumes, and the amazing use of lighting and sound.” – Ned
“On Tuesday, we went to see the NESA OnStage selections, and overall it was a really enjoyable experience. One performance I particularly liked was Vax or Fiction. The use of physical theatre was very interesting and engaging, as it helped communicate ideas and emotions in a creative and memorable way. Another highlight was the Shakespearean prologue, which used traditional Shakespearean language in a comedic way. This made it entertaining and easy to enjoy, even for audience members who might not usually find Shakespeare funny. Overall, I really enjoyed OnStage, as it showcased a wide range of performances and creative approaches to theatre.” – Stella
“Onstage was such a unique experience that showed me how drama can be used to connect viewers to other people’s stories and experiences. The Extremely Melodramatic Prologue subverts expectations by using common Shakespeare tropes for humour. The costume design has an extremely high level of detail to it that helps create a world with depth and weight to it.” – Ryder
“OnStage helped me see how different conventions of drama can be used, such as the strong physical shapes of State of Mind and the power of vocals in Can you hear me?. The detailed sets with deep meaning and exceptionally complex and comprehensive rationales explaining why each choice in a set helps a play shape an intricate narrative that also reflects current troubles. Onstage also contained hilarious pieces such as Vax or Fiction, Red, White and Screw’d and a comedic script reading of An Extremely Melodramatic Prologue that kept a light atmosphere and filled the space with laughter.” – Genevieve
“I thoroughly enjoyed The Extremely Melody Prologue as it cleverly blended comedy and elements of a variety of his plays through a modern lens that recaptured Shakespeare’s comedy. I also particularly enjoyed the Group Performance called Vax or Fiction as it cleverly blended comedy with social commentary to create a well-constructed farce.” – Claudine
