Why Marking HSC Performances is so special
Many years ago, when HSC Drama was in its infancy, I travelled to Casino in the Northern Rivers area of NSW to help mark the HSC Drama Practicals. In those days the Senior Examiner travelled around the State dropping in on markers to offer support and, if needed, assistance. What this privilege (and it was a privilege) afforded me was to witness the impact performing Individual and Group Performances had on students around the State.
Drama is a subject that combines theory, the study of various theatrical movements throughout history (both international and Australian), with “performances”. The Individual Performance ranges from performing a six to eight minute piece drawn from the work of any playwright in history to devising an original piece of theatre. Under the umbrella of the Individual Performance, students alternatively may choose to complete any one of a number of projects such as a design portfolio, writing a short play, researching a particular topic of theatrical interest, making a video or creating a directorial vision for a particular play.
The other component in the course requirements is the Group Performance, the jewel in the HSC Drama crown. It is compulsory. Everyone who sits for HSC Drama has to perform in a Group Performance. That means teaming up with anything from two to five other students to create an original piece of theatre that runs from eight to twelve minutes. It is, effectively, theatre making.
Not everyone who signs up for HSC Drama has dreams of being an actor. Sometimes students choose it because they have heard what buzz performing the “GP” is. Quite often it is because they need to make up their subject load and drama seems like a good idea at the time. Sometimes it is because they think it will be a “bludge” but they are quickly disabused of that once they realise how much work is involved, let alone when are they stand in front of an audience and perform a piece of original theatre.
Marking the GP remains one of the highlights of my teaching career. The GP has always intrigued and excited me. There is nothing like witnessing young people conquer their nerves to tell their stories on stage. It has captivated me from the day I began marking.
When I arrived at Casino on that cold and wintry day all those years ago, I didn’t know what to expect. I’d driven to Casino from Maclean where I’d marked the day before. I caught up with the markers I was supporting and we introduced ourselves to the teacher in charge of drama. She wasn’t a drama teacher per se but an English teacher who had an HSC Drama class. She was nervous. Every teacher of HSC Drama is nervous when the day comes for their student’s performances. The nerves reflect the care and concern drama teachers have for their charges. They also reflect the extraordinary lengths these teachers have gone to corral their students, to allay their fears and to help them make it to this day.
We walked towards the School Hall where the Group Performance was taking place. It was a classic, old style, school hall. Cavernous. The wind whistled through the cracks in the walls. There were a handful of students there, forming a small audience. The teacher apologised that she hadn’t been able to get a bigger one. We tried to reassure her that all was good, took our places at our desks, turned on our desk lamps and prepared for the performance. The stage was one of those classic ones with a backstage area that disappeared into the darkness. It was a long, long way from the state of the art drama spaces we had marked in at some of the city schools the week before.
“When you’re ready”, one of the markers called.
Three students nervously made their way on to the stage. There were two boys and a girl. When we asked them for their student numbers, we had to strain to hear them. I wondered if this was nerves, or if they might have trouble projecting their voices. They took their places and began their piece. I can’t recall the details of the piece itself, but they were focussed, well rehearsed, found their voices and made it past the eight minute mark. I looked over at their teacher. She was beaming with pride. The students finished their piece, bowed awkwardly and stared out into the darkened hall. We clapped. They seemed surprised. Surprised that we clapped. It was one of the great things about marking the GP. The markers were encouraged to respond to the work. To engage in the performance, to laugh if something was funny and to show our appreciation by clapping after it was over, no matter what. The marking process acknowledged the mountain students had climbed to make a piece of theatre and perform it publicly. We had the privilege of seeing their opening and closing nights rolled into one and to reward them where we could.
In those days the examiners interviewed the GP performers after their performances. In theory this was to ensure that the work was the students and that they had produced it as an ensemble without outside direction. In truth it was an opportunity for them the let off some steam, to have a moment to celebrate what they had achieved. Bearing witness to the sheer joy and overflowing pride that burst from those three students at Casino High School that day remains an indelible memory. They were absolutely stoked.
“Did you like it?” the girl asked, barely able to contain herself.
It being an HSC Examination, we couldn’t answer that so we asked the set questions and then warmly thanked them. We were genuine. We recognised that we had witnessed something special.
This is what the Group Performance in HSC Drama is about. It is an opportunity for students to express themselves collaboratively and imaginatively, applying all the skills they have learnt in drama over the preceding years. It is a tough gig. Teenagers working together to create eight to twelve minutes of original theatre. Organising rehearsal times, making sure they all turn up, listening to each other, accepting each other’s offers, being prepared to compromise on their own brain waves. Working as a team. Having mastered what, in themselves, are incredibly demanding life skills they then have to tell a story, create characters, make costumes, decide on a “set”, choose appropriate music, work out how to use the space and stay in focus.
That is why those students at Casino High that day were jumping out of their skins. It is why anyone who completes HSC Drama regards the Group Performance as a highlight of their school days. It is why the GP is so very, very special.