Published on: 16 May 2014





Seven boys took part in an intensive three-day international schools’ theatre festival held in Indonesia last month. The Years 7 to 9 boys joined students from across the globe at the Jakarta International School as part of the International Schools’ Theatre Association (ISTA) Middle School Festival.

Drama teacher Kalika Duck, who accompanied the group along with Drama Production Manager Andrew Clark, said the festival focused on theatre making and performance through a range of skills workshops run by international professionals.

The boys, who were billeted in pairs with families from the school, participated in workshops including gumboot dancing, Indonesian dance and circus skills as well as watching a variety of performances by various theatre groups and troupes.

Miss Duck said the theme of this year’s festival was ‘service’ with participants spending half a day at a number of organisations helping the disadvantaged around Jakarta. “Our boys spent the morning at a home for children offering shelter, food and the opportunity to receive an education or learn a trade,” she said. “It was both confronting and inspiring for the boys.”

Back at the school, they were placed into mixed groups where they shared their experiences and were asked to find commonality to create a theatre piece around the theme. The ensemble groups performed their pieces in the final afternoon of the festival.

“It was a busy, jam-packed program but the boys achieved a lot and had an absolute ball,” she said.