Students belonging to the new drama group at St Ignatius School, stand outside the school canteen where the group’s performances will take place once a week.
A brand new drama group has begun for Year 1-5 students at the St Ignatius School in George Town. The group had their very first performance in front of their fellow students on the steps of the school’s cafeteria, which acted as a stage.
The group has been started by three teachers at the school who are all keen on drama, Karla Braccia, Maria Leggatt, and Loubie Baulk.
The group is intended to stimulate interest in drama and the theatre, not only for the students who participate, but also for the students to see the group perform. For this reason, it is intended that the drama group give their performances in places that are open to other students, and there will be regular performances every Friday in the school’s Canteen.
Ms Leggatt explained the purpose of the new group by saying: “It is intended to be an introduction to drama, including back-stage activities such as make-up and costumes.”
Ms Legatt is the ideal teacher to be showing the students these things, because she was a make-up person herself for several years at the Prospect Playhouse, where she also directed several plays; it is the same theatre that all the children in the new drama group will be visiting at the end of January.
“We will be going there, so that the kids can be exposed to all the different aspects of the theatre, such as lighting and sound, not just the acting,” she said.
“We are getting a lot of help from managers of Playhouse, Paul De Freitas and Peter Phillips, who will be giving the students a tour, and lending their expertise,” she added.
Ms Leggatt also explained that they were aiming to use the new drama group to prepare the students for the Children’s Festival of the Arts, with the thought that performing in front of their fellow students at school will give them the confidence they need to go onstage in front of others.
christopher@caymannetnews.com
