Live theatre has long been a means of challenging societal concepts and igniting deep conversations in its audiences. The MYP and DP Theatre students in Grades 7 to 12 are developing their ability to reflect on the arts and build more complex and deeper theatrical work of their own.
As part of their coursework, the students attended a performance of The Shape of a Girl, written by Joan Macload and performed by Green Thumb Theatre. This powerful piece of theatre invited students into a challenging and thoughtful conversation about bullying and introduced them to the style of one-act plays, a new format of theatre for many of them.
Student Reflections
The students across the MYP and DP Theatre program appreciated the show in different ways, highlighting the variety of perspectives with which a student may approach theatre emotionally, creatively and logistically.
“I had a lot of fun watching the performance. It challenged me and made me think about what theatre could do.” — Grade 10 student
“The set was really impressive. I loved how they used such a simple design.” — Grade 8 student
“Watching this piece of theatre really made me think of the impact that the actions of self and others have on society. Exploring the issue of bullying through theatre really inspired me to create theatre about real-life events.” — Grade 12 student
“As we’re studying the idea of theatre in education, I really appreciate being given the chance to watch a performance in this style on the school campus.” — Grade 7 student
The Importance of Theatre
The Shape of a Girl is a moving and impactful one-person show about the catastrophic effects that bullying can have on a community and individuals. It portrays a candid and honest portrayal of a young girl coming to terms with her complicity in a peer’s bullying and the catastrophic events that followed.
The aim of bringing this work into the community was to help students develop the ability to look at ourselves as humans and the relationships that we experience throughout life. This work led to a positive discussion about how theatre changes us, and the importance of watching and reflecting on this work was.
The opportunity to bring in guest performances such as Green Thumb Theatre deeply enriches the students’ learning and expands their skills. We’re looking forward to seeing this experience create ripples in our young artists, which will be reflected in their curriculum work and beyond.
