HSC students complete drama course without taking to the stage

Year 12 drama students Mika Levy,Topaz Marlay-Cole and Gaberiel Walker have spent hundreds of hours together,brainstorming ideas and workshopping scenes with the hope of delivering a memorable HSC group performance that might earn them recognition among the state’s best performers.

During term two they dedicated class time,before and after school hours and lunches to devising from scratch a dynamic performance about pirates that would also operate as a piece of social and political commentary about poverty and what draws people to crime.

Dulwich Hill High School drama students Mika Levy,Gaberiel Walker and Topaz Marlay-Cole were glad to finish another subject but very disappointed their drama course did not go as planned.

Dulwich Hill High School drama students Mika Levy,Gaberiel Walker and Topaz Marlay-Cole were glad to finish another subject but very disappointed their drama course did not go as planned.Janie Barrett

“You hear about senior drama in junior years and there’s such a build up[around] the group performance,” Topaz said. “You constantly hear about the major works,younger years watch them in assembly.” But then lockdown arrived,and the Dulwich Hill High students never took to the stage to perform their final product. “We were robbed of all of that,” Topaz said.

About 4000 drama students officially completed their HSC course on Tuesday with a 1.5 hour written exam. While they were relieved to have finished another subject,putting their pens down was also a reminder of what they missed out on.

“A lot of us were really excited about the group performance,” Gaberiel said. “It was a massive loss. We didn’t get the closure that we wanted and I think we deserved;a chance to show off our months and months of hard work. It was super disheartening - we were clinging onto these hopes for weeks.”

Their drama teacher at Dulwich Hill,Hal Leggett,said group performance was considered the “heart and soul” of the HSC course. “It’s the only thing the students genuinely collaborate on and create themselves the way professional theatre practitioners do;it’s an authentic assessment. It was difficult and disappointing for all of them,” he said.

“For me it was really heartbreaking. They displayed their skills and they all chose issues that were important to them;really relevant social issues that all had substance.”

With the group performance cancelled,an individual project and Tuesday’s written exam formed the remainder of the course’s HSC assessment. But there were still changes:students’ personal projects were marked by their teachers as opposed to external markers,to reduce movement across the state,and will be moderated by the NSW Education Standards Authority.

Mika doesn’t think that system is ideal. “Marks which are attained from the creative aspect of our learning - monologue,costume design,lighting design - are being moderated with written exams. I don’t think that’s fair on students who are more creative,” she said.

The students also think there will be inequalities,in terms of how students across locked down parts of NSW would be able to finish their independent assessments. “I was lucky,I have an acting family and could practice my monologue at home,” Gaberiel said. “A lot of students don’t have the privilege I do - their performance space was at school.”

Resources were also an issue for students whose major projects involved lighting or costume design. “You need printing,materials,pens,fabric swatches. Not everyone has spare fabric around. I did lighting and needed to print on A3;I had to do it so far in advance,” Topaz said.

But despite what students may have lost this year,they’ve gained perspective,Mr Leggett said. “I’ve been so impressed with the resilience and inner resources of the kids this year. The HSC has been tremendously challenging,but I think it’s been a learning experience of a different kind,” he said.

“They have learnt a great deal about drama and have gained a lot from the course;it’s the kind of experience that’s taught us all how strong we can be as well.”

NESA hasextended its special consideration program to any student whose learning was significantly compromised for six weeks or more due to restrictions. In Sydney’s 12 former local government areas of concern,principals can apply on behalf of their entire year 12 cohort.

The HSC continues this week with religion,physics and visual arts exams.

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Natassia Chrysanthos is the federal health reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age,based at Parliament House in Canberra.

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