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Thursday, 30 May 2013 | Term 2, Week 5
FEATURE
Silver lining
by James Broe and Jack Jahn
Theatre Rules
Oscar Wilde regarded the theatre as the ‘greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human
being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being’ and following our recent viewing of
War Horse at the Lyric Theatre, we’d have to agree with him. There would be absolutely no hesitation from us
to label it as one of the best, if not the best, theatre productions we’ve ever seen. Time Magazine described it
best when they said it was ‘the theatrical event of the decade’, giving it 5 stars.
War Horse was developed from Michael
Morpurgo’s powerful and imaginative play,
and exploits visually stunning sets, lighting
and props. It tells the story of a farmer’s
boy, Albert, and his beloved horse, Joey,
who is sold into the cavalry of the British
army during the outbreak of the Great War.
South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company
stuns audiences with breathing, galloping,
full-scale interactive horses that captivate
spectators through their complex structures
made of cane and incorporating features of
steel, leather and aircraft cable. Since the
production’s premiere in 2007, it has gained
global acclaim, earning two Laurence Olivier
Awards, five Tony Awards, four Outer Critics’
Circle Awards and many others- the list goes
on.
There would be
absolutely no hesitation
from us to label it as one
of the best, if not the
best, theatre productions
we’ve ever seen.
Now, of course, we suggest that you all see
this production before it ships off overseas;
however, if you wait a little (toward the end
of the show), ticket prices may reduce. It is
a longstanding belief of the Sydney Theatre
Company that theatre tickets are generally
overpriced, leading to the common attitude
that the theatre is too expensive and exclusive.
New approaches to ticket pricing have been
initiated by Cate Blanchett and Andrew
Upton, including $20 tickets for upcoming
shows. Their new ticketing scheme has been
applied to this year’s big-ticket shows such
as The Maids, staring Blanchett, Waiting for
Godot and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are
Dead.
The Sydney Theatre Company (STC) and
NIDA nurture their roots deep in youth
education programs. If you’re interested
in one day applying to NIDA or following
your interest in drama, these are really good
courses to do. STC holds post-show chats with
cast members of their plays and gives you
the opportunity to become an ambassador
for the company. They also facilitate ticket
subscriptions, work experience programs
for Years 10-12 and possible production
involvements. NIDA operates on much the
same wavelength offering student-based
practical courses and productions.
Cranbrook is about to experience a dense
few weeks of drama itself in the final stages
of term. Auditions for the huge production
of The Boyfriend will be held, both studentdirected
plays, The Stones and Gizmos will
be on and various students are performing
in Kambala and SCEGGS productions such
as If Only the Lonely were Home and the
much anticipated, Rent. It begs the question,
if theatre is so great, why aren’t more boys
auditioning? Well, the simple answer is
that they’re scared. If you ask around you’ll
commonly hear boys say that they’re ‘not good
enough’ or that they’re ‘afraid they won’t get
in’. Well, let us tell you now that nothing bad
can come of auditioning for a play. Trying out
is great experience in itself and, if you get in,
the rewards exponentially increase from there.
The amount of experience that it provides you
with is priceless as it builds your confidence
and your public speaking abilities and, most
of all, your dramatic talents. So don’t be afraid
to realise your potential because you probably
have more than you realise.
The amazing puppet of Joey in War Horse
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