Dramatic Collaboration

Story appeared in the 2017 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.

BY HAYLEY PICARD, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Josh Ketch embodied President Trump for a dramatic political message.

Jade Tomio personified the spirit of the Amazon rainforest during a dance sequence in the Grade 6 drama performance.

Inspiration for creating performance can come in many forms.

For Grade 6 students this year, their exploration of deforestation in the Amazon educated them on the complexity of the issue. Their new awareness became the ignition point for wanting to share a powerful message with their families and peers. The message simply needed guidance.

Enter stage left, QMS parent Tilly Lorence. As part of her master’s program major project, she volunteered to assist the class in developing a drama-focused presentation of learning for the spring assembly. The collaboration between director and students led to a deeply emotional student-driven performance.

“The students researched and wrote the script,” says Wilma Jamieson, Head of School.

“They wanted to incorporate multi-media, dance, drama, comedy and song into a political message. Tilly guided them on execution and the finer points of stage acting, so the result was impressive.”

The intellectual curiosity and leadership of this cohort, paired with the creative advice of a fine arts professional, culminated in a memorable performance, setting the stage (so to speak) for future QMS collaborative projects.