Teaching has been a roller coaster ride in the last few months, especially for those teachers and students who were plunged back into online learning, had school productions cancelled, couldn’t attend theatre, and drama performance exams that nearly didn’t happen. To draw on the quotation from Angela Betzien, 2021 has yet again ‘shattered our notions of what is normal or natural or obvious’.
Throughout 2021 APT’s commitment to the education sector hasn’t wavered. Teachers and students at all levels are critical partners in sustaining and advancing Australian playwriting and storytelling, and the Arts and Literacy ensure that rich learning develops the next generation of playwrights.
What’s in store in this newsletter? It’s the final term of the school year and APT is aware many educators are turning their thoughts to the question, ‘What plays will we study and/or perform in 2022?’. Given the year we’ve had, we’re recommending plays that are joyful and positive. Plays that explore big ideas, offer larger than life characters, laugh out loud moments, diverse perspectives, are hopeful, and fun.
For the primary sector, there’s a story of two underwater friends, and a tale of three sisters circumnavigating the world. Secondary schools can select from a contemporary adaptation of The Little Mermaid, a zombie apocalypse, fifty reasons to have friends, a zany romp, and a potato race in a country town called Appleton. For those working and studying in the tertiary sector we also recommend Chinese Takeaway by Anna Yen, a powerful story of Chinese women across generations.
In other good news, APT has added a series of plays to the cross-curriculum priorities of First Nations histories and cultures and Australia’s relationship with Asia.
We’ve introduced an additional step in the APT recommendation strategy. Playwrights have all been asked how they would like their play to be considered by teachers and students in an education setting. The requests and preferences have been included in the recommendations. It may be worthwhile engaging in a critical discussion in class about; Why would playwrights want their plays told or represented in certain ways? Who gets to tell whose stories?
Reading and performing plays is a unique way of bringing us together to share stories. We hope you enjoy browsing these recommendations from the APT collection and making discoveries.
We acknowledge that we live and create on unceded lands. We pay our respects to the First Peoples of Australia, and to their Elders past, present and future.
