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Regent’s Year 11 GCSE Drama performs ‘Silent Witness’
Fern as Hanna, the conflicted
wife of Karl.
Mr. Mike Thomas,
Head of Drama
This year’s Year 11 GCSE Drama students performed a
devised drama called Silent Witness in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary
of the massacre of the inhabitants and destruction of the town of Lidice,
Czechoslovakia, that took place in June 1942.
The five actors had to perform at least 3 characters each
in the Unit 3 Performance exam which tested their acting skills to the limit
as well as their understanding of how a piece of drama is meant to work on
stage. The 40-minute play focused on two principal characters caught up in
the almost unbearable horrors of that fateful day, perpetrated by the Nazis
in response to the assassination of the brutal German ruler, Reinhard
Heydrich.
Yana and Mackenzie’s Lidice
International Art Competition pieces.
Vaclav Zuleka was, unbelievably, saved from the massacre
of 82 of his childhood friends by the decision to bring him up as a German,
simply because his blond hair made him look Aryan. In his performance
Geoffrey Taylor managed to communicate his sense of confusion and guilt
which was the product of his experience. Vaclav had to learn German and soon
lost his sense of Czech identity which he had to regain at the end of the
war as well as re-building his relationship with his mother who also
miraculously managed to survive under Nazi occupation.
The other main character played with huge emotional
conviction by Julianne Dionisio was Miloslava Zelenka who somehow found the
strength of will to live through the hell of Ravensbrook Concentration camp
in Germany. Fern Maxwell gave depth and believability to the character of
Hanna, the conflicted wife of Karl, also convincingly portrayed by Erik
Bayanduryan. Vilyam Gregoryan made the smaller roles of the prison guard and
inspector memorable in their control and attention to detail.
All in all, this play, created by the students
themselves, provided an effective ensemble performance and reminded us of
issues of racism and persecution which are still unhappily part of today’s
world. This powerful performance was dedicated to the work of Amnesty
International and will hopefully be repeated in a more refined platform
version on the Amnesty Marathon Letter Writing Day.
In tandem with the performance itself, the school has entered the 40th
Lidice International Art Competition intended to raise awareness of the
tragic events amongst today’s younger generation. Year 8 students Yana and
Mackenzie created two beautiful and evocative pictures in response to this
year’s theme, the Theatre. These will be sent to Lidice in open competition
with the many hundreds of other art works received from all over the world.
GCSE Drama students performing
“Silent Witness”.
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Regent’s Year 13 IB Theatre performs “A Piece Of Cake”
Vicky embodying a teenager
battling anorexia.
Ani Shahsuvaryan, Year
12 IB Theatre student
The themes of this powerful performance were anorexia,
loneliness, teenage angst and the persistent pressure to conform to the
unreal expectations of society of what a girl should look like, as if one’s
external looks were the be all and end all.
Vicky Haslinger embodied her role very effectively, not
only in what she said but also in her quality of controlled stillness which
managed to starkly show her inner emotional turmoil. Her class back
background and emotional and educational shortcomings of her personality
were powerfully shown through careful use of voice and movement. Vicky used
the space well and managed to build up a relationship with the audience who
were all the time made acutely aware of the character’s loneliness and
isolation.
What added to the impact of the play was the very
effective design elements which precisely suggested, not only Vicky’s
character but powerfully and symbolically reflected the themes of the drama.
The idealized images of models stuck on the upright flats highlighted the
unreal expectations that society imposes on what a woman should really look
like. Also, the creepy voice of authority, symbolized in the doctor’s
disembodied voice enabled the central character to give voice to her
innermost fears and desires.
Likewise, the cramped intimacy of the space, covered by
an expansive red cloth together with the powerful use of the projected
images served to accentuate her isolation and inner torment. Vicky used her
anxious gestures and variation in breathing to focus her character’s inner
confusion.
This was a memorable performance highlighting a not-often
talked about issue for young people. The performance was scripted and
directed by Eddy Rudram.
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2 flood-damaged schools benefit from Austrian donations
(L to R) Nittaya
Patimasongkroh, Marina Vogrin, Elfi Seitz, Consul Rudolf Hofer, Praichit
Jetapai and Sriwanna Jitprasert during the presentation at the Austrian
Consulate.
Elfi Seitz
Two flood-damaged schools in Central Thailand were able
to rebuild thanks to 80,000 baht in donations from Thailand’s Austrian
community.
Consul Rudolf Hofer presented the funds, raised during
October’s Austrian National Day festivities, to Y.W.C.A. Bangkok-Pattaya
Center Chairwoman Praichit Jetapai and former Chairwoman Nittaya
Patimasongkroh April 5.
The Y.W.C.A. first forwarded the funds to Wat Ngwline
School in Nakhon Pathom. The flooding destroyed its library, books and
teaching materials. While the main school building has been repaired, an
Austrian donation of 35,000 baht will help the school rebuild its library.
Ban Hauy-u-long School in Kanchanaburi received 45,000
baht to replace teaching materials lost during flooding that damaged the
school. Rather than buy paper works and materials, Internet training was
suggested and the Y.W.C.A. allocated funds to purchase five sets of
equipment to get the rural youngsters online.
Hofer thanked the Y.W.C.A. officials for their help as
well as Austrians who had opened their hearts and wallets.
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Healthy children, thanks to the Pattaya Sports Club
The youngest boy at the
Children’s Home was not too happy with his nurse.
Derek Franklin
When a child arrives at the Father Ray Children’s Home it
is not known what their health status is. A newcomer may look healthy, he or
she may be the picture of health, but in many cases there are underlying
problems.
Years of neglect and poverty often leave a child
malnourished, growth is stunted and infections have left the body damaged.
Within a few hours of arriving at the Children’s Home the
child or teenager will be assessed by the in house nurse. Within a week they
will visit the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya for a full medical check up.
Brother Denis Gervais, vice
president of the Father Ray Foundation, receives the donation from William
Macey, charity chairman at the Pattaya Sports Club.
Blood is tested for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases
and other infections. Chest x-rays are taken to check for tuberculosis and
pneumonia. Stool samples are tested for worms, and the children will visit
the dentist, an optician and have a general check up to ascertain the
general health of each child.
The Bangkok Hospital Pattaya gives these examinations at
a very special price, just one thousand two hundred baht per child, and
approximately one hundred new arrivals visit the hospital each year.
A healthy child will do better at school, will be better
behaved at home and able to join in activities with friends. A chronically
ill child is at risk of being alienated from his or her peers, their
education will suffer and they may lack self esteem.
Thanks to the generosity from the members of the Pattaya
Sports Club the next one hundred new arrivals at the Children’s Home will
also have the chance to receive these health checks.
A recent donation of one hundred and twenty thousand baht
will ensure that the underprivileged children of Pattaya have a chance of a
healthier life.
More information can be found at www.pattayasports .org
or www.fr-ray.org
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PILC joins early FOL Songkran celebration
Sister Joan Gormerly with a
resident of the Banglamung Home for the Aged.
Ann Winfield
The Fountain of Life Children’s Center held its annual
Songkran Festival on Wednesday, April 4. A group of ladies from the Pattaya
International Ladies Club (PILC) went for the festivities organized by
Sister Joan Gormerly and her staff. Sister Joan had also invited a number of
people from the Banglamung Home for the Aged.
The FOL Center gives emotional, medical, and educational
support to some of Pattaya’s poorest and most helpless children. When
necessary, they give financial support to buy school uniforms and to cover
lunch and transportation costs. Many of the children’s families would not be
able to send their children to school without this help.
After the celebrations, the
children have fun throwing water all over each other.
The teachers at FOL Center had worked with the children
for weeks on the songs and dances that they performed for their visitors.
About 50 children, ranging in age from three or four to about 14, took turns
singing traditional Songkran songs, and then performed traditional dances,
urging the grown-ups to join in. After the indoor celebrations, all the
guests were led outside for the second part of the program.
All the children and adults were led to the end of the
street adjacent to the Fountain of Life Center, where everyone congregated
for a few minutes, and then everyone paraded back accompanied by singing
children and music. The adults were then seated around a sand stupa, and
after more music and dancing, everyone lined up, visitors, adults, and
children, and made merit to a small emerald Buddha by pouring water of him.
The children then lined up by age, and walked around pouring water over the
hands of elders , and patting scented talc paste on their faces also -
everyone was pretty wet by the end of it, but it was a delightful
experience.
After the official ceremonies were over, the children
were all given ice cream cones, donated by Andrea Pierce, daughter of one of
the PILC attendees, and then, once released from responsibilities, they went
mad throwing water all over each other and having such a great time - it was
a heart-warming experience to see them all enjoying themselves so much. It
was a wonderful afternoon, experiencing the Thai festival in its best
manifestation.
The Fountain of Life Children’s’ Center, run by the Good
Shepherd Foundation, helps children from the poorest families in Pattaya.
For more information, please email [email protected].
Children at the Fountain of
Life prepare to pour water over visiting PILC members.
PILC members join in the
Songkran Festival at the Fountain of Life.
Fountain of Life Songkran
Celebration.
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