Preview: Neither Here Nor There by Olwen Wymark. ACT Drama Association, directed by Lynette Wallis. Currong Contemporary Arts Theatre, Gorman House Arts Centre, 8.00 pm August 29-31, 1996. Bookings: 247 4000.
The ACT Drama Association is the professional association for drama teachers across the Territory. Most of its time is spent lobbying for better conditions for teaching and learning drama in schools, being an affiliate of the National Association for Drama in Education (NADIE) and the International Drama Education Association (IDEA), and arranging professional development workshops for drama teachers. They have Moya Simpson to lead a vocal workshop on September 12 and Bronwyn Vaughan on November 6 teaching the process of theatrical storytelling.
Organising, teaching, and learning from these practical workshops is not enough: someone realised that The Jigsaw Company could provide the complete professional development by having Lynette Wallis direct drama teachers in public productions. This is the first - a play about seven institutionalised women, exploring issues of power structures, repressed sexuality and fantasies of freedom.
This is an important exercise because it provides the teachers with the best form of work experience, as actors and backstage crew under professional direction. From this experience they can refine the way they teach students in their classes, showing them how to achieve better quality and helping them to be realistic about the world of theatre.
Lynette Wallis has found this an enjoyable experience, watching her charges loosen up and behave like actors, rather than teachers. Under her direction the result is sure to be exciting, judging by her work on Mercury which I reviewed earlier in the year. Tickets are only $5 for the half-hour performance, but my guess is that you'll get more than your money's worth not only from the show but in the conversation afterwards. It's an opportunity to support the work these teachers do in the schools, but, just as important, they need you as an audience to test their skills. It's a risky business putting yourself upfront on stage, even for a professional actor. For a teacher there is the double jeopardy of having to come up with the goods for the students the next day. Take the risk with them: I expect it will be a worthwhile learning experience for everyone.
©Frank McKone, Canberra
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