Drama festival – Tigers and Dragons!…
Drama festival – Tigers and Dragons!…
The International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA) festival, hosted by Island School, bought together students and international visiting artists for a long weekend of exciting drama, from 24th – 27th Nov 2016.
Over 150 students from across Hong Kong and Asia took part in a festival designed to enrich students’ experience of theatre through workshops and ensembles led by visiting ISTA and local artists.
The festival theme was around the importance of stories and traditions in our modern world and asked: where are the tigers and dragons in our own lives and how do we give them the space to move?
Sophie Welsh, Head of Drama said: “The ISTA weekend is a cultural jamboree. Students get to act in, design and create their own productions. Even if some of the talent involved in the festival winds up in banking or ball-bearings manufacturing, at least everyone is exposed to the giddy delights of putting on a play.”
Those leading the workshops and ensembles were handpicked by ISTA for their specialist knowledge of different acting techniques.
E
nsemble Leader Shawn O’Docharty, studied in New York and Paris and is the Founder of Glide Memorial in San Francisco, an international acting troupe. He led an inspirational workshop titled ‘The Day the Ketchup Turned Blue’ where students learnt how the objects around them can be transformed into a cast of actors.
Head of Drama at Island School, Sophie Welsh said: “Festivals like this aren’t just a springboard for talented students, they help us understand the importance of theatre and community and how they enrich our lives, developing confidence, curiosity and a willingness to try new things.”
Olivia Appel, 14, said: “I loved the weekend, meeting new people from around Asia who were all into the same thing! I loved the workshops we took, particularly learning the new skills of lifting, melodrama and vocal control. I would recommend weekends like this to anyone who is passionate about Drama – and I am looking forward to travelling to an international ISTA weekend myself!”
