GigCity grant brings Shakespeare to pupils

Otago Girls’ High School pupils watch a Fortune Theatre production via a live video feed (back...
Otago Girls’ High School pupils watch a Fortune Theatre production via a live video feed (back row, from left) Meg Cunningham-Tisdall (16), Mona Bekhit (15), Rose Stevenson (15), Chloe Turner (15) and Jasmine Johnson (15); (front row) Cecile Wagener (16), Caitlin Herbert (15) and Claudia Scott (15). Photo: supplied.
The rehearsal of a Shakespearean play in Dunedin was broadcast live to  pupils in three classrooms yesterday.

Performing arts pupils from John McGlashan College and Otago Girls’ High School in Dunedin and St Peter’s College in Gore watched a live rehearsal of a Fortune Theatre play.

Nearly 40 pupils in the classrooms watched the rehearsal of parts of two scenes of the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night in the Fortune Theatre rehearsal rooms.

Actor Shaun Swain is  carried by Joshua Cramond during a rehearsal of the play Twelfth Night at...
Actor Shaun Swain is carried by Joshua Cramond during a rehearsal of the play Twelfth Night at the Fortune Theatre rehearsal rooms in Dunedin yesterday. Photo: Gerard O'Brien.
Theatre education liaison Shannon Colbert said the theatre got $20,000 from the GigCity Community Fund, from Chorus, to create Backstage Pass, which had its inaugural "live session" yesterday.

The rehearsal was broadcast to the classrooms using the video conferencing technology Zoom.

"It went really well — it was great," Ms Colbert said.

The actors rehearsing yesterday were Frith Horan (Viola), Shaun Swain (Valentine), Joshua Cramond (Duke Orsino) and Jonathan Martin (captain of the wrecked ship).

Director Benjamin Henson, assistant director Zoe Connor and assistant stage manager Beth Waite were at the rehearsal.

The cast and crew answered  pupils’ questions after the rehearsal yesterday.

The play is a joint production between the theatre and the University of Otago.

Pupils from different schools across Otago and Southland will use the technology to watch rehearsals of Twelfth Night and upcoming productions Into the Woods in August.

The schools participating include most of the high schools in Dunedin, Gore High School, Blue Mountain College in Tapanui, Dunstan High School in Alexandra and Wakatipu High School in Queen- stown would watch rehearsals remotely.

The technology allowed pupils to get an "insight" into how a play was created before they watched it live at the Fortune Theatre.

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

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