iServi News | 2 December 2022 | Term 4, Week 8
This Term Danielle and I had the privilege of taking part in a work experience program with the Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA. This included a two-day intensive workshop covering topics such as voice, pathways, creating dramatic pieces and divisive techniques. The workshop started off with a tour of the breathtaking theatre, where we had the opportunity to glimpse the set for the production ‘Oil’.
We then went into a Q & A session with guest speakers Mr Joel Jackson (Actor), Ms Casey Aubin (Marketing Assistant, Black Swan Theatre), Mr Chris Isaacs (Author, Playwright and Resident Artist) and Mx Caro Duco (Community Engagement Producer, Blue Room Theatre). After asking the speakers a million and one questions, Ms Julia Moody came in to teach us about how we can use our voice to strengthen our performance.
To complete our first day at the Black Swan Theatre Company, we revised a scene from the play ‘Oil’ which was scheduled to be performed the next day in the Heath Ledger Theatre. This play is about the lives of mother May and daughter Amy through different decades and how the evolution of oil played a bigger part in their lives than they initially realised.
Alex Corica (SM5)
The following day Mr Andrew Sutherland, a devising Teaching Artist, discussed with all the students involved in the work experience about the key themes in the play such as power, feminism, moral obligations and specifically how to draw on our own experiences to tell a story.
Finally, the workshop ended with us viewing the production ‘Oil’ right at the home of the Black Swan Theatre. The two-day intensive work experience was one that I will never forget and something that has taught me a lot about the performing arts industry.
Danielle Sansalone (SC2)
