Commedia dell’Arte workshop

The Year 10 Drama students were given the opportunity to workshop with the masks of Commedia dell’Arte to expand their knowledge base and their acting skills.
The after-school workshop was run by Dennis Murphy (a Sydney actor and puppeteer) who taught the girls more about Commedia and its Italian origins, and provided them the opportunity to experiment with masks and character of tharly but influential genre of theatre.


Dennis Murphy is Australia’s leading exponent of Commedia dell’Arte. While he performs in both Mask and Puppetry, his real passion is for the Puppetry branch of the art.



Dennis’ puppetry has won him widespread acclaim in Australia and the ‘Ural Citation’ for excellence in Russia. In Italy he presents his shows in Italian and has performed in a wide variety of venues from atop the medieval walls of Treviso to an outdoor fair in the shadows of Juliet’s castle. Dennis represented Australia at the 1998 ‘Teatri del Mondo Festival’ in Italy.
He commutes regularly to Italy to perform at puppet festivals and to carry out research. The theatre critic of Rome’s L’UNITA newspaper called him “one of the world’s greatest puppeteers”. Over the last decade Dennis has shared his
passion for the “Commedia dell’ Arte” tradition with tens of thousands of Australian school children.




































Learn more about Commedia dell’Arte:
Wikipedia
Commedia dell'Arte

Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre

Zen Zen Zo is a Brisbane-based physical theatre company at the forefront of contemporary performance and training in Australia. Founded by Lynne Bradley and Simon Woods in 1992, the company creates theatrical experiences that are visually stunning and physically extreme, often involving audience interactivity.

Zen Zen Zo's Romeo & Juliet was first created in 2005 for the Queensland Arts Council. The performance was a hit with students and teachers throughout Queensland and continued to tour for 3 years around regional Queensland, metropolitan Brisbane, and eventually Hong Kong. Re-directed by Zen Zen Zo Associate Artist Katrina Cornwell, featuring Zen Zen Zo senior company members Harriet Devlin and Dale Thorburn and outstanding new Internship graduate Sam Plummer, this radical adaptation of the Shakespearean classic will once again engage young people through the dynamic physicality, contemporary music and choreography, and combination of classic and modern text.

Director/Designer: Steven Mitchell Wright

Rehearsal Director: Katrina Cornwell

Composer: Chris Perren

Performers: Harriet Devlin, Sam Plummer, Dale Thorburn

If you enjoyed Zen Zen Zo, the company has regular workshops for students.
Check out weekly workshops. $150 per term.

"Trigunda" Year Nine Process Drama

The year 9 Process Drama begins in the small township of "Trigunda", situated in the centre of Shark Tooth Island. Shark Tooth Island, discovered and named after Sir Arthur Trigunda ( who is also a resident of the town which is named after him) is noted for its' famous blue shells. The blue shells, when crushed, create a powder which is noted as a healing agent for cancer.
Trigunda has recently had a wedding, a christening, and a very important Town Meeting relating to the Mayoress' news that a Resort is planned for the popular Cavity Cove.
See photos from 'the wedding' day below: