BSP THEATRE DAY AND OTHER DRAMATIC ACTIVITIES
This year, our school’s Theatre Arts Department organised the annual BSP Theatre Day, an event in which secondary students from the different British Schools meet to share moments of fun and companionship. The event, which took place on Saturday 29th March in the Newton Theatre, encourages the students to share their acting skills and put them into practice by devising short plays with peers from other schools and age groups. Congratulations to Laura Tibaquirá, Kenzo Balerdi, Valentina Vela and Anna Paula Andrade, who represented us in this event.

Our very busy department hasn’t stopped promoting theatre amongst the students, and so we’ve taken the Form IV and VI students to see the plays “El Último Ensayo” by Yuyachkani and “Los ríos profundos” by Cuatrotablas. We also brought the play “Interruptor” by CUER2 to the school, which was seen by Forms III, IV and VI, and also by the teachers.

THE GOOD WOMAN OF SETZUAN
The Good Woman of Setzuan is a timeless classic of world theatre and one of the best examples of the Epic Theatre developed by the great German poet Bertolt Brecht. It is the story of a woman who is asked by the gods to be good, but finds many difficulties in her way. A fable about how a corrupt and hypocritical society makes it very difficult for its citizens to follow ideals like goodness and compassion.

For the first time in the history of school plays at Newton, this year the production was in charge of the IB Theatre Arts students. They designed the scenery, props, costume and make-up, and assumed the responsibility for them. They were also in charge of directing the play. This is part of their learning process for the course. Thanks to this experience, the event can be said to be the creation of the students themselves, who managed as a group to pull through a very demanding play with humour, life and dedication. Having students as leaders of such an ambitious project created a sense of involvement amongst the whole cast, which can be exemplified when some of the actors brought props from home or helped each other put their make-up on before the performance. Even the music was composed by the students of the IB Music course.

This event involved 35 actors, 7 musicians and 12 other students backstage. More than 50 students working together towards a common goal, learning to give and follow instructions, to take risks and assume responsibilities and, most importantly, to accept and understand each other. As a school, we feel proud of events like these, which reassure us that we are on the right track in the education of our students, who will leave Newton prepared to face new and difficult challenges.