Drama Biog Blog

Okay well I guess it all began when i was little. Having two older brothers it sometimes meant that they thought they were to cool to hang out with me, so it was basically up to my imagination to keep myself amused at home. I could make games out of anything, and I did constantly (okay perhaps I still do.) So that would have to be my introduction into the world of drama.

Primary school days were spent in calisthenics classes and I loved it. The costumes, the make up, being on stage and having everyone clapping, it was all pretty cool. But tragically I really injured my hip when I was in grade 5 due to calisthenics and I had to stop.
After I stopped, I stopped. Being from a small country town my high school didn’t offer drama as a subject, but through English I was able to experience a tiny piece of the action, through writing and performing plays, mock T.V shows and public speaking. VCE swung around and for some reason I assumed I would be great at chemisty, biology and maths… to cut a long story short I wasn’t, so in regard to school work I struggled a bit. Finally our school decided to put on a performing arts show, asking students to create something to perform if they were interested. Well I was, so I roped all of my friends into making up a dance to the Moulin Rouge and it was so much fun. Watching the video now is a little embarrassing but it was just a trigger that made me want to start doing something again.

So VTAC places came out, I got accepted into Arts at LaTrobe and dying as I was to move to Melbourne I jumped at the chance. But it sucked. Out of the four subjects I chose drama/theatre was the only one that was worth going to, but that being said I didn’t like being taught how to ‘act’ so I decided to defer the course and check out my options.
A few months later I applyed for and got accepted into VUT Performance studies and the following three years was the best. VUT was such a brilliant place. We were always encouraged to follow our interests, create our own work (not ever relying on other peoples words), learn to work with no budget and to find our passion. I don’t want to go on and on but the teachers we had over our three years were incredible, but I think the most influential teacher’s I had were Maggie Cameron and Mary Anne Lynch. Maggie helped me crawl out of six months of writers block and it was because of her that I finished the degree, and Mary Anne mad me realise that I had to trust myself and follow my instincts and that it is okay to fail.
After completing the degree I walked away wanting to be a writer, a dancer and a performance maker, my confidence had grown and I had developed a strong friendship base with the guys at uni.

Four months later I worked with two close friends from uni on a show which we went on to perform at the Woodbin Theatre in Geelong called “even for a girl like me…”. This was such a brilliant experience as I was working in a trusting honest environment and it resulted in a successful piece both artistically and financially (in other words we made some money!)

Shortly after this I tried out for a part in a play for the Melbourne Comedy Festival, read for it and got it. This was a spin out as I had never acted before, and the rehearsals proved to be so so hard. I couldn’t handle having to read a script because I was so worried that I wouldn’t do the words justice, but once I realised that it was okay to play it was all okay. Our show went on to have a sell out three week season and be nominated for a Barry award which was all pretty cool. The best part of that experience was being on stage and getting laughs from the audience, such an amazing rush!

So I know this is probably boring everyone to tears by now but its almost over. Now being at Deakin I know what and why I am doing this degree. I want to help kids in areas who may not get access to oppotunities to study in the arts study them, cause I know what it’s like. When you think about it there would be many city, country and rural towns that would be brimming with so much talent. The worrying things is that the students themselves may never realise this if they don’t get the chance to experience everything and roll with their imagination and most importantly, to understand that it’s such a gift.

Anna

I have little to no memory of Drama activities at primary school -  I think the most drama education we received involved attending a special showing of the local high schools play. My mother decided after some deliberation to send me to gymnastics (instead of a Helen O’grady class). Apparently I had heaps of energy to burn and I was always putting on dance/singing shows for my family.

In year 7 I found the joy of musical theatre. I was involved in the School Production of ‘Pirates of Penzance’. This was not during school hours. We rehearsed after school on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 4-6 (maybe 6:30) and on Sunday’s closer to the show date! I was in the chorus and I loved it! This event lead to many other plays including:

-          The Pyjama Game (my first line)

-          Trial by Jury (my first real ‘role’)

-          Pirates of Penzance (again this time as the leading female)

-          The Three Musketeers

-          Footrot Flats

Of all of these performances only 1 was rehearsed during school hours!

For me ‘Pirates’ was an impacting point – as it was my first every musical and later on my first ever leading role.

In high school I was blessed with excellent and passionate drama teachers. And I think that part of the reason why I want to be a drama  teacher is because I have seen their passion and want to share that with future generations.

I have always enjoyed teaching (dance, swimming, anything) yet straight out of highschool I didn’t want to go into a teaching degree, as I didn’t feel ready. So, with the blessing of my family, I chose a course that involved my passion – Performance. 

I have a huge passion for using drama as a tool for teaching individuals with special needs (whether that be a physical or mental disability or simply self esteem concerns). Ideally I would love to have my own business, working with some of these issues both in and out of the school setting.

Year 12 was an interesting time for in my Drama career, there were 5 of us in the class and we were very close. We talked about developing our own company and touring our performances to rural schools (like many of the performances that we had seen). This unfortunately didn’t happen – as many of high school friends go their separate ways. I think that this cemented the notion of teaching drama – or at least sharing the passion for the performing arts.

Like most girls in this class, it seems, I grew up directing backyard extravaganzas. My little brother, visiting friends, farm animals and stuffed toys were usually willing to participate (or were too scared to say no). Of course, I always played Cinderella etc (insert beautiful heroine’s name here). Needless to say, I can be quite bossy sometimes.

Unfortunately there was no creative outlet for me during primary school. I did a few dance classes here and there but it’s hard to keep up extra-curricular activities when you live in the country and have to travel long distances to get to the nearest main town. I remember enjoying singing in the school choir, until one day one of the older girls laughed at me because my voice was too loud (who me???). This criticism crushed me and I never sang in public again until I was much older and perhaps a little bit drunk.

My parents took me to see Hair when I was in high school and – not just because of the full-frontal nude scene) – that was an eye opening experience! But they didn’t really have much of an interest in theatre or musicals and because of this I’ve always felt I’ve been a bit culturally disadvantaged.

I never participated in a rock eisteddfod or high school musical. It wasn’t until Year 11 that I even had such an opportunity and then I had to make a choice between acting in Little Shop of Horrors or playing in the basketball team. I chose the basketball team (because of a boy!), spent the majority of the time on the bench and consequently had a miserable year. From that time onwards I swore I would always choose the arts (being a ‘thespian’) over sport (being a ‘jock’). And so I went on to study a Bachelor of Performing Arts at the University of Tasmania in Launceston. I really enjoyed my time there but always suffered from a lack of confidence about my abilities. And I was realistic enough to see that if I pursued my dream of becoming ‘an actor’ I faced the prospect of constant rejection and possible starvation. And I just didn’t want it that much!

So I travelled around Australia for a year. And then I just happened to be in the right place at the right time (Broome) and got some extra work on a television show. And then they rang me one day and I thought it was going to be my big acting break but alas, they offered me a lackey role in the production office instead. Still, it was a pretty good gig and I made some contacts and worked on an American telemovie in Melbourne and another TV show in Broome. But I can’t seem to stick at one thing very long, so I gave that all away to move to London and work as a nanny and travel, travel, travel for a year and a half. But then I felt like a change again (funny enough) and came back home to study teaching (something I’d always said I was going to do)….

To tell you the truth I found going back to uni really hard last year and I’ve lost a bit of motivation in terms of drama and teaching somewhere along the way but I’m hoping this year will inspire me to get excited about the possibilities…..

Hi all,

It appears that how I became to know drama and what motivated me to want to teach drama is similar to other uni drama students.  I remember as I very young child dancing around my grandma’s lounge room singing, dancing and swinging on chairs pretending I was ‘Eliza’ from ‘My Fair Lady’.  Probably, the reason why that memory is still so strong is because once, when I tried to do a grand leap using the aid of the chair, the chair tipped over so I landed flat on the floor, giving myself quite a shock!  That was the last of my chair swinging days.  However, I have continued to sing and dance and have discovered over the years that it’s my drama skills that have been a key player in these fields.  Like many, I started dance at age 4 and have never stopped, was in Australian Girls Choir for many years, took speech and drama lessons and exams for 9 years, have played a range of musical instruments and have reached a high level in several, participated in school musicals obtaining lead parts and the list of experience goes on.  The older I became the more I realised that drama is a crucial part of life.  Without the skills of drama I would not have had the confidence to perform and express myself especially in music and dance exams. Even today people say I have good people skills and I look confident even when I feel quite the opposite!  These are vital life skills that drama has given me.  I took drama as a subject all through school and lobbied hard to get Theatre Studies as a VCE subject; thankfully I succeeded in launching this VCE subject at my school and was in the inaugural Theatre Studies class at PLC.  I feel very passionate about pushing drama forward in schools as I know it helps people develop communication skills which are important no matter what field you work in.  I also learnt through studying drama that because we are always ‘being other people’ we become more sympathetic towards different types of people.  Usually the students who want to be doctors of lawyers overlook the importance of drama as they do not realise all it has to offer them.  Therefore I’m driven to teach Drama and or Theatre Studies in secondary schools so I can educate students about the importance of drama and even if their dream isn’t to perform on stage, drama can teach them skills that will make them even better at their profession. 

Jane

I’m just amazed that I’ve finally gotten this thing working!  yay.. Anyway, my shocking computer illiteracy aside, I suppose I’ve always been interested in theatrics and the performing arts.  I was in a performing choir for a number of years (before the choir leader actually heard me sing) and I even attempted a rather unsuccessful foray into dance.  Something I vowed would never be repeated…that is until I get a few vodka raspberry’s in me on the dance floor at click click, but that’s acompletely different story

I was always that nutso kid  in the back of the class rambling on with other like-minded individuals about the most inane things like why isn’t there any toothpaste that’s black and calledgothpaste?  Long story.. This kind of stuff makes me sound very stable and well adjusted doesn’t it?

Getting back to the actual point of this blog, it was only when I got to high school that I really began to explore drama.  I had some really fantastic teachers and some really stereotypical teachers.  Mscoov DeMeurville was hilarious.  She was the kind of lady that would wear mismatched leggings, two different shoes, had more lippy on her teeth than her lips and would often be seen dropping her keys into her tea instead of her pocket.  She was really amazing because she taught us to forget about everyone else in the room and not to be self conscious about the ridiculous things we were doing.  She made us understand that it wasok  to sometimes feel vulnerable in a drama class, and she taught us to combat our insecurities.  My VCE drama teacher was the same, she showed us what it really meant to do group work with very creative and sometimes temperamental people.

Anyway, it wasn’t until yr 11 that I realised I wanted to be a teacher.  My ‘revelation’ as I like to call it, came completely out of the blue, I was just sitting in literature and all of a sudden it was as if a light was shining down on me (ala JD in scrubs) and something just clicked in my head, like a lightbulb turning on really.  Not an incandescent, but an energy saver, I’m all for the environment here.

Well I guess my drama/ performing arts experience began when I was 5 years old when I did creative dance with my older sister at Deakin when it was Rusden funnily enough! I cant really remember much but ive got photos of me holding a big pole with streamers and of the dance group and I think I had a crush on one of the older boys! From then my experience with drama/dance didnt really begin again until high school, I started playing the violin in primary school and played in some string workshops and concerts. I started drama in year seven at highschool and got involved in the school productions from year seven I remember doing the Canterbury Rider and we had to where these sock booty things and as I was dancing I slipped over and was in a ball on the floor was very embarrassing in fact Ive fallen twice in school productions the second which was went to be a fake fall but I actually did fall and my dance partner fell on top of me! So some good fun memories from school productions! For me Drama became my outlet in high school it was the subject I enjoyed to go to and I poured all my energy into it, Drama was a positive experience for me up until Year 11 when we got the worst teacher ive ever encountered, we had to sit in class and do breathing exercises for the whole lesson thats it she was eventually sacked and now I know how to breathe! Id stopped playing the violin and had given up playing tennis, so drama became my passion. In year 12 we had an awesome teacher, he would spend countless hours after school working with each student, on how they could develop their monologue, he renewed my interest in becoming a teacher as it made me see that all students should have that experience during high school, they should have a teacher that is passionate about what there teaching from their own experiences and would be willing to work with them and give them a 100% of their time and dedication and I hope thats what I will bring to teaching! Thanks for reading!

Flipping through the rolodex of specific dramatic moments in my life, I find one image appearing at the start of it all.  This image marked the beginning of my life both on and off the stage.  There I was, in the local day care Christmas pageant, lying on my back in a tiny straw bed that I was supposed to be resting in.  Surrounded by three little wise men and a few sheep with cardboard ears, I was baby Jesus and I was too big for my bed. I was also too old to still be in day care but too young to be home alone after school while my single mother worked.  I had no choice but to stick it out and play the part. I always wondered if the fact that my limbs were spilling over the edge of the tiny straw bed and left to dangle over the edge of the stage, wasn’t simply a foreshadowing of my on-again, off-again relationship with performance.  Or was it merely a sign that I both loved and hated being the centre of attention?  Not sure.  But I do know that from that day forward, I’ve always been hanging over the edge of some stage somewhere, eventually finding my feet, only to fly again into the unknown…the promise land that is dramatic action on stage and in life.   

I began dance lessons in my elementary years. Working hard to perfect a skill and exercise a passion for moving through space. I also discovered that I actually did love to perform.  But it wouldn’t be until high school that I would return to the theatrical stage and study drama, although the term “study” is used loosely. Unfortunately, my newly developing skills as a mover couldn’t help me overcome my fear of using my voice as an actor. This coupled by the fact that my high school drama teacher, although I remember her fondly as a favourite, really didn’t teach us anything. She did however, have an incredible knack for the art of distraction.  While she was busy strolling around the room with a cup of hot coffee in hand, which I’m sure helped to weigh down the sway of her large and always loudly printed floral dresses, we were too mesmerized by her presence to notice that we hadn’t actually learned anything.  The only thing that was overflowing in that class was hot coffee, where much like the lessons, spilled unnoticeably into the thick brown carpet. 

When I was in high school I used to fantasize that I had my drama teacher’s job; it looked like an easy way to spend your day and everybody liked you.  But after choosing to study dance at university, followed by years of dancing, choreographing, teaching, a bit of acting, directing, producing, going back to university and completing a minor in drama and working as a movement coach for other actors, I’m still learning about my crafts.  Just as the limbs of my body had no choice but to extend beyond the small straw bed and dangle out beyond the proscenium, my desire to share and exchange knowledge and experiences with others is no less than a compulsion; an unstoppable need for expansion that spills out into an overflow which houses and feeds the art and act of teaching.     

Like everybody else i have known since i was a child that a passion for performance was inside me. My earliest memories concerning the world of drama is probably dancing around my nana’s house watching “The Sound Of Music” and “Mary poppins” and pretending at the age of 3 and 4 to be the great Julie Andrews. But that’s not very original coz i think everyone did that at some stage…the girls anyway. My next fond memory involves going to see “Beauty and the Beast” on stage ( and Bert Newton leaving a program and chocolates at the stage door for myself and my sister…my Nana was childhood friends with good ol’ Bert you see). And from that night on i think i knew i wanted to be on stage just like all my favourite characters from that great Disney book. There was something amazing and colourful to me about witnessing those characters come to life in front of me. I wanted to be Belle for as long as I can remember.

During primary school there wasn’t much opportunity to do drama or musicals but we did get to go watch Loyola College’s musicals from Grade 4-6. I sat in awe! I wanted to be them so badly…but when i finally got to Loyola I realised how intimidating it was to be the youngest in a school of a thousand students. So I waited. In Year 8 I made it into the chorus of my first production…”Anything Goes”. And my love only continued to grow from there. It wasn’t just the limelight either that drew me to acting. I loved the whole process. The rehearsals, the singling lessons, the costume fittings and the fundraisers….and the chance to show of months of hard work and dedication to my family on Opening Night.
In between being the little kid in the back of the musicals for a few years i took a big interest in my brother’s acting ability. He was at the rival all boy’s school and they had a great drama teacher who built the department into something fun and cool instead of geeky and lame as it is commonly seen. Anyway my brother always had trouble remembering scripts so i helped him and in turn learnt “The Club” and “Two Weeks with the Queen” by heart. I have always admired my brother’s talent and enthusiasm, he has made a big impact on my love of drama. He is now a struggling artist with a great comedy show “the Shambles”…their dvd even got them to the ARIA’S!!!!! So yeah he is a huge inspiration for me.
Also along with Emily a drama teacher that came to our school when we were in Year 10 became my friend and mentor for all things drama…and life. Michelle has given me so much wisdom and guidance throughout Year’s 10, 11 and 12 and remains my mentor now. She taught me so much about the passion and the importance of dreaming for the future. Everything is possible with a dream.
ultimately I would rather be an actress on the stage…especially after getting to be in an adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” last year as Juliet. But teaching has always been in me…even at highschool i was a leader with the younger kids in competitions and such. I also love Shakespeare in a big way and had a lot of experience through Globe Shakespeare comps at highschool….right now I am lacking motivation but i hope this subject really brings me back to the hype and excitment that I once felt when I first saw a stage show or sang “So Long Farewell” from the steps of my Nana’s loungeroom.

Thanks guys!

I find it quite a difficult task to talk about yourself and the experiences that have shaped who you are, and the path you’ve taken. In some respects I feel like saying “Have a look at my CV” that’s what I’ve done and that’s what has inspired me to keep going – however it probably what’s NOT on my CV that has made me the person I am today – desires and all.
I was exposed to performing from the age of two, only through the yearning to be just like my sister. When she started school, a group of her friends all started at Calisthenics aged 5 and 6. How dare my sister start dancing with out me? My mother had no real choice but to throw me in the class too, even though I was far too young. This started a life long desire to perform – dance, act, sing whatever. During our younger years my sister and I shared the same passion which ultimately sent us along the same path, however I still had to achieve everything she did –despite our 3 year age difference. This was by no means any form of competition – it’s simply that we shared the same passions and wanted to experience them together. So much so that when my sister was 16 (me 13) she was sent along for a professional dance audition for TV. There was an age limit specified (must be over 16 years) therefore theoretically I was unable to audition. This didn’t stop us. I too went along to the audition pretending I was also16. For some unknown reason we both got the job and I had to spend the next 3 years lying about my age. Looking back, I guess you’d have to say people go to some extraordinary lengths for their passion and desire. I certainly know I have.
At high school I was always trying to juggle my performing life with my school life. Choosing drama as a subject was a given, never a decision! I was always very close to the drama teachers, in part because I’d seen and experienced the relationship they had with my sister. However in year 11 a new teacher came into the drama class and absolutely blew my socks off. She came in with a wealth of knowledge and more importantly experience from the outside world of “Performing”. She had done it, she was there, she was my mentor. Listening to this teacher speak was amazing, I was totally enthralled by what she had to offer me. It funny because no one else in the class could see this wealth of knowledge she was giving me. My desire only grew that year…..
I went on to study Performing Arts at Monash University. I have very mixed thoughts about this degree and what it did for me. I can confidently say, that I hardly learnt anything within the classroom setting. The classes were somewhat interesting, however I didn’t feel they were a valuable tool for my future. However, what I learnt during the three years outside the classroom was invaluable!! The people I met, the stories I was told, the contacts I was given and the performances I was exposed to were Amazing. I attribute that to most of my fellow students who were in the same position as I was, and shared the same desires as me. Together we bonded and started to create a path for ourselves.
During this time at uni I started to work part time in a Performing Arts School. I taught all styles of dance, drama and singing. I loved it!!! I loved working with the diverse range of kids, some of which were there for fun, and some who were little Katherine’s in the making waiting for their moment to shine.
Whilst at Monash I had all intentions of completing my Dip Ed straight after graduating. As much as I hate to admit it – in this industry you do need something to fall back on. However somewhere between that train of thought and reality, I started to gain quite a bit of performance work. I have been extremely lucky in that I gain 5 solid years of working in TV and theatre before the clock started to tick and I realised I’ll be 28 years old by the time I finish my Dip Ed. And that my friends has led me to this class. My passion for teaching is only now starting to override my passion for performing. This may have something to do with stability, or maybe I’m just growing up…. All the same the desire and passion are immense!

MY DRAMA BIOG BLOG……

 

It is kind of strange I guess when talking about the lead up of me studying Drama Education.  Drama is something that I have always known.  I performed as a child in theatre and television so I was always on sets and surrounded by the concept.  Even people in the industry and their interactions were some what dramatic, if not over dramatic.  My childhood, through to my teens were immersed in the dramatic field.  I loved it though.  It was tough, time consuming and difficult to get acceptance as a country boy growing up, but it was my passion.  I knew it was something that I had a ‘knack’ for and could do it well.  I was never good at sports or other academia; this was mine, my craft, my life.  Through the developmental stages of live theatre, TV, film and street performing, I knew my passion still lived with this and progressed further when accepted into the Ballarat Academy of Performing Arts.  This is where I experience a new way of looking at the craft I thought I knew so well.  It was interesting to see others who were passionate, if not more about the craft than I was.  This opened my eyes to the levels and diversity that this craft could take.  Upon completing this degree, I went on further to complete more live professional theatre.  As fun as it was, and with an offer to attend NIDA the next summer, I was confused as to where I was in the scheme of things with my life, and with performing.  I for some reason I needed to take a break.  I wanted a normal job with normal hours and to be a regular citizen in the world.  It is difficult to explain this.  Now that I reflect I think I was scared of the offers that were coming in for me to perform and found that I had nothing to draw upon for the motivation for my next performance.  So I moved to
Japan.  As you do.  I worked as an English teacher over there for a year and a half.  I had the best time of my life. I guess that this is where I had found the passion for education.  So upon returning I have decided that I would put together my passion Drama and my newer passion of education to deliver an easier concept and an enjoyable environment for a craft that I hold very close to my heart.  Thank you very much for reading.