Drama: ISTA Theatre Arts Trip TaPS 6th-8th October

Drama: ISTA Theatre Arts Trip TaPS 6th-8th October See our Y12 and Y13 drama students engage with their coursework outside of the classroom...Don’t miss the opportunity to catch the amazing performances of the Bangkok Community Theater.

Last week-end our Year 12 and 13 IB Theatre Arts students attended a unique Theatre Arts programme offering 3 days of intensive training workshops and performances.

This event gave our IB Theatre Diploma students the perfect opportunity to engage dynamically with the course outside of the classroom. I cannot over-emphasize how valuable this experience was for the students and for us teachers. Organised and run by ISTA,  a non-profit organization and registered charity that brings together young people, artists and teachers from different countries in different settings to experience, create and learn about theatre.

It gave our students the opportunity to work in ensembles, led by top international theatre practitioners from across the globe, all of whom had a thorough knowledge of the course and in many of whom served as teachers or examiners. Ensemble leaders included experts such as Jillian Campana, a Professor at the University of Montana specializing in the work of Augusto Boal, and Mhairi MacInnes a freelance theatre practicioner.

Each year TaPS facilitates a masterclass from an artist in a theatrical field, but this year we were lucky enough to have 3 masterclasses. Covering world theatre traditions, Awelani Moyo delivered workshops on traditional African dances, exploring the importance of space, improvisation and ensemble. Makhamphon Shadow Puppetry  facilitated our students to work with light and shadow. Bill Bowers, a mime and pantomime expert from New York who studied under Marcel Marceau, ran a series of masterclasses and performed his off Broadway show ‘What Makes a Boy’.  This was a beautifully delivered piece with a powerful message. As well as this, students saw other inspiring performances from the contemporary Thai Theatre company Floor B and The Bangkok Community Theatre.

Working with these experts, who were eager to share their craft, the students were able to develop a wide range of theatre skills from directing to performing, designing to dramaturgy.  

It will be a fantastic resource for further explorations of IB DP Theatre back in school because each student was able to engage with the philosophy of the Theatre programme, its core components and the required assessment tasks. This will certainly give them  the tools and strategies required for managing their own learning in theatre

Bangkok Community Theatre

We were lucky enough to see the Bangkok Community Theatre musical production of '25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' last week at the M Theatre and it was amazing. We have lots on offer for our students this term with a further two shows we will be attending. If you would like to attend any of the shows below then please contact the Bangkok Community Theatre box office.