The grade 7s have been working diligently on their solo performances for their interdisciplinary unit (IDU) Behind the Mask. This is a unit between Drama, English Language and Literature and English Language Acquisition. Performances are set for this Thursday, March 8th in the black box classroom E213!
Take a look at rehearsal in action:
January is always an exciting time for the CISB StageCats! The musical has been announced and it is time for auditions, callbacks, casting and first rehearsals. After taking audiences on a journey through the social-media crazed world of LIVE, the backstage drama of Waiting in the Wings and the rock ‘n’ roll re-discovery of We Will Rock You, the StageCats are ready for a new challenge – the beloved, classic musical The Wizard of Oz! If you would like to follow what is sure to be a whirlwind experience, here are our hashtags:
Also, for a sneak peek at who will be playing your favorite roles, check out the cast list below.
We’re off to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz! 🙂
4 of our seasoned StageCats competed in the BWYA Speechwasy last weekend. Sean Li and Bella Ness performed a scene called Ms. Spitspot’s Spic-and-Span Playplace and Anna Zhao and Carolina Liu performed select scene from StageCats’ recent production of Live. Both teams performed very well in all 3 rounds of the High School Division. In the end, CISB won 2nd place overall as a team along with the Middle and High School Debate Society. Great work StageCats and Debate Society!
We are two and a half weeks into the new trimester and it has been an action-packed, fun-filled 12 days. Both grade 7 and grade 9 students took part in a variety of team-building drama activities in order to build trust and community in the classroom. Students also brushed up on their basic stage skills such as vocal projection, expression and stage positioning, and gave valuable feedback to their peers on these same skills. Now we are diving into our first units! The grade 7 unit, Behind the Mask, focuses on mask performance skills and the concept of inner and outer personas; this is an interdisciplinary unit with English Language and Literature and English Language Acquisition. Grade 9s will be exploring the melodrama genre in their unit Drama Queens. In this unit, students will learn melodrama elements such as stock characters, melodrama gestures and asides while also inquiring into how the techniques of a genre can transfer through time. Below are the unit outlines for both grade 7 and grade 9:
Behind the Mask:
Statement of Inquiry – Individuals communicate and interpret public and private identity depending upon the situation
Key Concept – Communication
Related Concepts (arts) – Interpretation
Global Context – Identities and Relationships
Inquiry Questions (arts) –
What skills are required to perform in mask effectively? (factual)
Do masks change the relationship between audience and performer? (debatable)
Drama Queens:
Statement of Inquiry – The techniques and systems of a genre can transfer through time and space
Key concept – Time, place and space
Related Concepts – Genre
Global Context – Scientific and Technical Innovation
Inquiry Questions –
What is a genre? (factual)
How do the techniques of a genre transfer through time? (conceptual)
The what extent does time/ space impact the techniques of a genre? (debatable)
Here are some pictures of the first two weeks of trimester 2:
The future of social media. The future of you.
Join the CISB StageCats on November 24th and 25th for the release of the latest ground-breaking app, LIVE. Only 30 RMB for students and 50 RMB for adults! Tickets are available in the CISB lobby.
Welcome to your future…
Yesterday, after 3 weeks of hard work, 9Wu performed their original melodrama plays for their classmates and other grade 9 students! One play dealt with a villain seeking revenge on a train, another explored tax fraud and a secret plot to expose a powerful company and the last was a Star Wars melodrama! All very exciting, entertaining and unique ways of using melodrama conventions and style. Here are a few photos of the performances:
Before the holiday, Grade 8 students took part in the Improv Olympics, which also served as their Unit 1 final assessment performance. This week, the winners were announced! Congratulations to the improv champs and to all the grade 8s for taking on such a challenging style of theatre. Check out the winners below:
This week, the Grade 9s started their final melodrama assessment. They are currently in the script-writing phase and will soon begin rehearsing their original plays. These plays will be performed in front of an invited audience in a few weeks! Here are some shots of play-writing in action, as well as the assessment task guidelines:
The cast list for CISB StageCats’ production of LIVE has officially been released. This is StageCats’ second production of the season, set for November 24th and 25th. With 47 actors and over 20 backstage members, it is sure to be an exciting and rewarding experience for all involved. Check out the list below:
The Grade 9s are continuing their melodrama unit this week by learning about how to incorporate asides into a script. An aside is a short or long speech delivered by an actor directly to the audience; it is used to reveal the inner thoughts of the character, and other characters onstage are not aware of the contents of the speech. Below are some action shots of the aside writing/ rehearsal process:
The Grade 8s are bringing all of the improv skills they learned throughout the unit together in a performance game called “Scenes from a Hat.” In this game, students are given a general topic and must plan an improv scene in only one minute! It is very challenging, but a great way to show understanding of improv skills and 5-step scene structure.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like backstage before the big show? The CISB StageCats invite you to join them behind the red curtain for a unique theatre experience:
A mysterious group of backstage spirits haunting the auditorium…
A stressful stage-manager making sure everything’s ready to go…
A dreamy director giving instructions no one understands…
And two actors who just can’t get their perfect KISS…
Will they be able to perfect their love story before the curtain opens?
Join us in the wings of the CISB Auditorium to find out on September 20th, 22nd and 23rd!
CISB StageCats are very proud to present…“Waiting in the Wings” – a collaborative piece created and work-shopped by CISB students! Get your tickets from the Front Desk in the lobby starting Monday, September 4th.
See you backstage!
A.Knowles Theatre 