At Long Last… Back in the Theatre!

On Tuesday night 26 excited Year 11 and 12 QCE and IB Drama/Theatre students journeyed up the highway to the Billie Brown Theatre to see a classic production. Experiencing live performance is an important part of a Drama student’s education. 2020 threw many curve balls, with access to live theatre being no exception.

However, the global creative community knew the world must have access to art and it allowed us access to its archives, to witness new work and hear artists speak about their lives, process and need to be creative, all via digital platforms. Therefore, our students were lucky enough to see productions that they may otherwise have never had an opportunity to witness. Our hearts were filled, and we will be forever grateful for the generosity of all who shared.

In late 2020, the exciting day came when Queensland Theatre released their 2021 season and tickets for Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning Our Town were announced. We pounced on the opportunity to be there. There is always an element of risk when taking students to a see a play written long ago (1938) that it will not connect with them as an audience and its meaning will be lost. Happily, on this occasion this was not the case. Our Town focuses on the simple things, yet the most complex. It reminds its audience to see the beauty in each moment of our lives, to look forward with hope and treasure the time we have with those we love. The conversations it sparked in the foyer afterward, the bus ride home and in the classroom over the following days affirmed this meaning and highlighted the power theatre has in exploring the human experience.

Many thanks to Miss Melinda Green, Mr Stephen Walther and Mr Stuart Roberts for supporting our students on this excursion.