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Visiting actor, writer and director leads GIS drama workshop
‘Try it again with passion!’
Actor/director Daniel Foley explains how it’s done.
Mark Beales
Secondary students from Garden International School (GIS)
Rayong enjoyed drama workshops led by visiting actor, writer and director
Daniel Foley. Daniel, who has appeared in more than 200 stage productions in
70 countries, was in school on January 25.
In the morning there were sessions for Key Stage 3 and IB
students, where they learned about meter in Shakespeare, Japanese Kabuki
theatre techniques of centering and movement, masks and monologues.
Special sessions were also held for students in Garden’s
new Gifted and Talented program. In the afternoon there was a performance
for all Key Stage 3 students in the primary hall.
We are very grateful for Daniel for coming to share his
expertise with our students. Thanks also to Mrs Grisdale and Mr Lund for
organizing the event.
An IB student tries out a
mask.
Yr 8 students enjoy the drama
workshop.
Yr 8 students work on a drama
activity.
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Regent’s Year 10 devised drama - “Caught on the Way”
“Caught on the Way” cast.
Mike Thomas,
Head of Drama
Last week the Year 10 Drama Group performed a 20-minute
piece of devised theatre called Caught on the Way. It is likely that
most of the audience watching this compelling and tightly focused
performance would probably have been unaware of the tragedy that unfolded in
Argentina in the 1970’s and early 1980’s in what became to be known as The
Dirty War. (Spanish: Guerra Sucia)
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence:
as well as guerilla fighters, victims of the violence included several
thousand left-wing activists and militants, including trade unionists,
students, journalists and sympathizers. Estimates for the number of people
who were killed or ‘disappeared’ range from 9,000 to 30,000. Victims of the
violence were often snatched from their homes or arrested ‘on the way’.
Without legal representation or their families’ knowledge, thousands were
simply never heard of again. Many of the victims were thrown bound and
blindfolded from helicopters in the south Atlantic so no earthly trace of
their existence would ever be detected. Furthermore, hundreds of babies were
taken from imprisoned mothers and adopted whilst the real mothers were
killed.
Since the Dirty War took place Argentina has experienced
a cycle of economic downturn and more recent prosperity. It is in this
context of a nation reflecting on its past that provided the starting point
for this particularly powerful drama that must necessarily have afflicted
and continues to haunt countless families across the nation. It is the city
of Buenos Aires in the early 1990’s. A young university student, Maria
Gonzales begins to ask questions about her identity. Her search leads her to
a hospital where she uncovers facts that are at one disturbing and
life-changing. As well as focusing on issues of personal identity and how
much we know of ourselves and what lies behind the seeming reality if
inter-personal relationships, the drama highlighted a cogent question as to
exactly how a nation deals with its past - whether it be Germany, Russia,
Czechoslovakia or Argentina. (Exactly the same questions were asked in the
2009 Argentine Oscar winning film The Secret in their Eyes (Spanish:
El Secreto de Sus Ojos).
The drama was prefaced by an informative power-point
which cogently provided the necessary facts and images whilst at the same
time deftly leading the audience into the beating heart of the play.
This intensely human drama was made completely believable
by the performances, particularly those of Anastasia and Juste who played
the respective roles of the adopted daughter Maria and Adriana Gonzalez, the
foster mother. Their characterizations combined combative strength with a
quality of stillness, dignity and control which added to the verisimilitude
of their scenes and the helplessness of these individuals enmeshed in a
hideous human dilemma.
The plot seamlessly alternated between past and present
which gave the actors opportunity to demonstrate their movement skills and
understanding of non-naturalistic theatre. Brutal violence was paradoxically
depicted through gracefully stylized movement and the poignant plight of the
Mothers of the Playa de Mayo was realized using choral speaking and samples
of actual photographs of some of the victims of the Dirty War. The haunting
music and dim lighting somehow suggested ghosts of the past intermingling
uncomfortably with the consciences of the present day citizens of Argentina:
it is a fact that many of the perpetrators of the violence have yet to be
brought to justice.
This was a powerful telling of a story that needs to be
more widely known. The performance by this accomplished group of Year 10
GCSE Drama students will surely resonate in the memory.
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St Andrews’ students take part in a feast of mathematics
Year 8 students who took part in the Maths
Challenge.
Owen Lewis, Head of
Maths at St Andrews International School
Last term, Mr Lewis, Mr Sutherland and half of our
Year 8 and 9 ‘mathemagicians’ invaded Garden School for a feast of
mathematics. They joined students from GIS, with a handful from Regents,
and competed in mixed teams throughout a fun and stimulating day. Here
are some great quotes from some of the students who took part:
“A good chance to socialise with other schools. It
was competitive with lots of harder questions for us to figure out which
made it very challenging.”
Year 9 ‘Mathemagicians’
compete for St Andrews.
“An amazing experience - we had a very competitive
day but during the challenges we also had lots of fun!”
“A fun day! We used our teamwork skills and had to
work with people we did not know.”
As usual, our students did us proud with their
enthusiasm and willingness to mix. They were able to show off and
enhance their skills, whilst gaining valuable experience in teamwork and
leadership.
Roll on St Andrews Maths Week II in late February
when we will challenge all students throughout the whole school…100%!
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Jesters’ Flood Relief Project
Bernie and the school
principal take part in a small ceremony by removing the first damaged
wall board to celebrate the beginning of the project.
Bernie Tuppin
On the 19th of November 2011, I, representing the
Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive, travelled with the Pattaya Flood
Relief Group to the village of Baan Laak Tak Pha in Amphur Nakhorn
Chaisri, located in Nakhorn Pathom Province, to observe the situation
and see if the Jesters could be of help.
Of particular interest was the welfare of the
children in that area. It was noted that the local school, Wat
Buddhadhammarangsi, was submerged in over a metre of water and had been
for some time.
Heading towards the school
once the flood stopped rising.
After the water finally receded, I made a return
visit in mid-January to make an assessment of the damage. The local
community had done a marvellous job of cleaning up, but lacked the
finances to replace damaged educational aids and to repaint the
water-stained and mildewed walls inside and outside the building.
This was definitely not a healthy environment for
young children!
The Jesters Care for Kids committee decided that this
was indeed a worthwhile project and deemed it a special case, like the
2004 tsunami in the south, which required their response even though it
was outside of their customary Chonburi/Rayong focal area.
The decision was to provide the estimated funds of
B250,000 to replace all damaged wall boards and repaint the bottom level
of the building inside and out.
So it was decided that I would return to the school
to discuss a time-frame for the work to be carried out. At the school, I
was met by many of the local community members who had volunteered to
carry out the work.
Inside a classroom once
the floods started subsiding, but the high water mark can still be seen
on the blackgboard.
They were most grateful for the Jesters’ generosity
and were enthusiastic to begin.
A small ceremony was enacted with the school
principal and me by removing the first damaged wall board to celebrate
the beginning of the project. Work will continue on a room by room basis
so as not to disrupt the children’s studies.
It is estimated the work will take several weeks as
special attention has to be paid to areas that require sealing properly
before paint can be applied.
Another report will follow when this project is
completed.
If you are interested in helping us with projects
like this, please visit us at www.care4kids.info and/or
www.facebook.com/jesterscare.forkids.
Please remember that our Children’s Fair is on
Sunday, September 9th and Gala Party Night on Saturday, September 22nd.
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New Sensory Room for the children of Pattaya
Derek Franklin
Parents of children with learning difficulties and
special needs are not always educated about the condition their child is
living with. Local culture can mean a child is isolated from society,
often seen as a bearer of bad luck, and in many cases these young
children are ridiculed by neighbours and unable to attend educational
institutes.
Pauline Fox receives a
certificate of thanks form Father Peter, President of the Father Ray
Foundation.
The Father Ray Foundation has been taking care of
abandoned, orphaned and neglected children and students with
disabilities for almost forty years. Recently the Foundation opened a
center where children and teenagers with special needs can receive the
support, education and the therapy they need to be able to reach their
full potential.
Thanks to members of the Worthing Steyne Rotary Club,
the Father Ray Foundation now has a brand new sensory room.
The children most likely to benefit from the sensory
room are those youngsters with cerebral palsy, autism and ADHD -
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The children of Pattaya
seem to like their new sensory room.
Children will spend time in the room with their
parent, giving them a place to relax and develop their play and learning
new skills through touch, sound and light.
Soft flooring, bean bags and colourful cushions make
a soft and comfortable place for a child to relax.
Once a child is feeling secure and calm they will be
able to control the environment of the sensory room. Senses are
stimulated or calmed with the effective use of lighting, sounds,
different textures and visual effects, all of which are controlled by
the user.
One of the youngsters who
will benefit from the sensory room.
This new facility would not have been possible
without the support of Worthing Steyne Rotary Club, in particular club
member Pauline Fox, who visited the Foundation whilst her daughter was
working as a volunteer English teacher.
As someone who has worked in the field of child
welfare for over thirty years, Pauline, who is currently chief executive
officer of Worthing Scope in the UK, knows the importance and benefits
that a child can gain by using a sensory room.
After witnessing for herself the work being done with
special needs children in Pattaya, and seeing the lack of facilities and
funds, she persuaded her fellow Rotary members to give their support to
the children of Thailand. Funds were raised in Worthing and whilst on
holiday in Pattaya, Pauline oversaw the planning and construction of the
new sensory room, as well as providing education for the workers and the
parents of the children.
Pauline was present at the opening ceremony on
January 24th, and on behalf of Worthing Steyne Rotary Club she accepted
a certificate of thanks from Father Peter, president of the Father Ray
Foundation.
The Father Ray Foundation is seeking volunteers who
are trained in physiotherapy, and who are willing to commit just a few
hours each week to help these young children with special needs.
More information can be found at www.fr-ray.org or
email [email protected]
The children give a
rousing dance performance during the ceremony.
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