The 2011 Schools Program, for primary and secondary students across Queensland, includes physical theatre, Aboriginal history, sustainability, puppetry, science and more!

The QAC has launched their new website and is now open for bookings.

Put students in the middle of dance creation

This performance and interactive workshop by world-renowned Expressions Dance Company is an opportunity for your students to not only discover dance, but also to create and perform their own dance – become ChoreoKidz!

ChoreoKidz enriches students with a new understanding of contemporary dance and its background, while developing their skills in choreography and creativity.

FREE WORKSHOP for a minimum of 5 teachers after school. The Expressions Dance Team will improve or refresh your own dance, movement and teaching practice.
 

ESSENTIAL LEARNING: The Arts (dance, creativity) and HPE (movement, physical activity)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
Large flat space for arms length apart movement
Wooden floor preferred; concrete covered with gym flooring acceptable
No obstructions such as structural poles or low fans. No chairs
Power outlet

FACILITATED AND PERFORMED BY: Expressions Dance Company

DIRECTED BY Natalie Weir and Nerida Matthaei

SUITABLE FOR: Primary Students


 

Will Viktor Lemoncov pass the Australian Citizenship Test?  Could YOU?

Viktor’s son met and married an Australian girl years ago and they had a little boy Nicoli. Now they’ve had an accident and there is no-one to look after him.

Grandad to the rescue. As the legal guardian, Viktor has just arrived in Australia to look after Nicoli. However, to stay he will need to pass the Australian Citizenship Test. All that stands between him and deportation is 45 minutes and “The Test”.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: SOSE (time, continuity and change) and SOSE (culture and identity, politics and economic systems), English

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
6m wide x 4 m deep
Power outlet

PRODUCED AND PRESENTED BY: The Wizzz Bang! Theatre Company

SUITABLE FOR: Primary Students

Crazy Science is back… with water!

Crazy Scientist Richard and his sidekick DJ Robbie will take you for a wild ride on the science slide into the remarkable world of H2O. Learn about the chemistry of water, states of matter, the water cycle, water and the environment, oceans and salinity, weather, pressure, pH and bubbles!

H2Whoa! not only includes visual and engaging science demonstrations but also magic, puppetry and offbeat comedy, all wrapped up with an important environmental message.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: Science (human endeavour, earth and beyond, natural and processed materials) The Arts (drama) and SOSE (place and space)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
Flat area 6m wide x 4m deep and 2.4m high
Power outlet

PRODUCED BY: Crazy Science

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Richards Scholes and DJ Robbie

SUITABLE FOR: Primary Students

 

Hello Spaceboy! is about the power and value of creative thought.

In this adventurous performance a young boy learns about the role of creativity in personal identity and relationships.

Max sits at home with nothing to do and like many other children he feels bored. Have their imaginations abandoned them? Suddenly, there is a knock at his door from an ‘Imaginaut’ who invites Max on an adventure into outer space and the depths of his imagination. Does Max have the courage to face his fears and can he use his powers of creativity to make the world safe for people to dream again?

Inspired by King Arthur’s early childhood and life, Hello Spaceboy! uses this adventure to explore Max’s journey from Arthurian legends to Star Wars."

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: English (literacy), The Arts (drama), HPE (personal development) and SOSE (Culture and identity)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venues guarantees a better performance
6m wide x 6m deep x 3.5m high
Wooden floors or cement covered with gym flooring only
Power outlet

PRODUCED BY: Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre

DIRECTED BY: Drew der Kinderen

DESIGNED BY: Drew der Kinderen and Nathalie Ryner

CHOREOGRAPHED BY: Jamie Kendall and Melissa Budd

Is That an Explorer in Your Backyard? is a narrative and interactive journey into events, places and people that have shaped Australia’s history.

With students playing characters and singing snatches of songs to explore historical events, this is the perfect starting point for teaching the history components of the new Australian Curriculum.

Ben might look like an ordinary nine year old, but in his secret life he’s the explorer, Professor Gumbo. Having journeyed to the end of his backyard, he’s about to embark on an exciting adventure: an expedition into Australian history. He’s forced to let his mum tag along and together they discover the first Australians, the explorers, the Eureka stockade, the shearer’s strike, Gallipoli and sing 60’s protest songs to support the Aborigines’ right to vote.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: SOSE (time, continuity and change, culture and identity, political and economic systems), History, The Arts (drama) and English

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
Flat area 5m wide x 4m deep
Power outlet

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Johanna Ratcliffe

DESIGNED BY: Simon Ratcliffe
 

Look bullying in the face and beat it!

Strategies to deal with bullying should be part of a students’ school survival kit.

Syd has been rehearsing for a new show, but he is not feeling too well today. He reveals that he has been subject to bullying by the three people with whom he is rehearsing.

Gaining students’ attention through his incredible juggling and unicycle tricks, Syd involves them through interactive forum-theatre to share a range of methods and strategies for dealing with bullying behaviour.

FREE JUGGLING WORKSHOP for up to 30 senior students plus 2 teachers if you book It’s Good to Be Me for 250 students. Additional juggling workshops can be booked for $300 + GST.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: The Arts (drama), HPE (health-social, emotional, personal development), English, SOSE (culture and identity) and Pastoral Care

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
Flat area 6m wide x 4m deep x 2.5m high
Power outlet

PRODUCED BY: Spring Media Entertainment

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Syd Heylen Jnr.

Widen your students’ perspective on this skilful and intricate theatrical genre.

Multi-award winning master puppeteer, David Hamilton combines the worlds of puppetry, cabaret and visual theatre.

Puppet Mania brings a cast of 15 puppets to life in this all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza. David demonstrates how to manipulate marionettes, rod, glove and finger puppets from around the world, culminating in a dazzling finale.

Puppet Mania received five-star ratings from Queensland teachers statewide. Inspire your students with an art form they can really get their hands into.

FREE PUPPET-MAKING WORKSHOP for up to 30 senior students plus 2 teachers if you book Puppet Mania for 250 students. Additional puppet-making workshops can be booked for $300 + GST.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: The Arts (drama, visual arts), Technology, SOSE and English

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
4m wide x 4m deep and 2.5m high stage space
Power outlet

PRODUCED AND PRESENTED BY: David Hamilton
 

Bush dance gets re-vamped to give true-blue Aussie music culture street ‘cred’

Fiddlesticks use electric violins, electronic effects and a loop station, with typical bush instruments like the washboard, spoons, saw, fiddlesticks, bush base and lagerphone to open up the possibilities of music and technology.

With a dynamic approach to the age-old barn dance, Fiddlesticks teaches funky steps, cool tunes, story-telling and musical innovation through a vibrant mix of music, technology, song and dance. Students will be ready to polka, boot scoot and mix ballads by the end of this high energy performance.

FREE MUSIC-MAKING WORKSHOP for up to 30 senior students plus 2 teachers if you book Switched On for 250 students. Additional music-making workshops can be booked for $300 + GST.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: The Arts (dance, music, drama) and SOSE (time, continuity, change, culture and identity)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
5m wide x 4m deep stage or space
Power outlet

WRITTEN, PRODUCED AND PRESENTED BY: Fiddlesticks
 

Learn how to reduce energy consumption at home and in your school.

Gemma is worried about her family’s electricity use as they often leave the houselights, air-conditioning, computer and TV switched on all day. She’s convinced that making changes to energy consumption is her responsibility. Gemma finds that changing her own energy-saving behaviour is quite simple - it’s persuading others that’s hard.

Get the facts, make the change, live a sustainable lifestyle and save! Unplugged is an interactive forum-theatre performance about energy use and awareness. It’s up to students to initiate energy saving strategies for their school and at home.

FREE SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOP for 30 students and 2 participating teachers to develop your own Energy Sense Action Plan. Additional workshops can be booked subject to availability.

TAKE THE PHOTO CHALLENGE
Create photos with a slogan about electricity for display on the Ergon Energy website. At the end of the semester the school with the best photo will receive a free Energy Sense Day. See details in QAC’s Teachers Resource Kit.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: English, SOSE (place and space), Arts (drama), Technology (technology as human endeavour) and Science (energy and change)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance.
6m wide x 4m deep
Power outlet

PRODUCED AND PRESENTED BY: Ergon Energy and Queensland Arts Council

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Kris Plummer
 

Who Was Here First? looks at the historical impact of early Australian colonisation.

The settlement of Australia is marked by numerous clashes between Indigenous people and new settlers. This theatre experience provides students with accurate accounts of the historical impact of colonisation on Indigenous people.

Through the eyes of Ganan, an Indigenous boy and escaped convict boy Robin, students learn about John Oxley and the impact of the penal settlement on the traditional owners of the Moreton Bay area.

FREE WORKSHOP about Aboriginal culture and identity for up to 30 senior students plus 2 teachers if you book Who Was Here First? for 250 students. Additional workshops can be booked for $300 + GST.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: SOSE (time, continuity and change) and SOSE (culture and identity)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
5m wide x 4m deep stage required
Power outlet

PRODUCED BY: Queensland Arts Council

DIRECTED BY: Sue Rider

WRITTEN BY: Claire Austin

INDIGENOUS CONSULTANT: Roxanne McDonald

Put students in the middle of dance creation!

This performance and interactive workshop by world renowned Expressions Dance Company is an opportunity for your students to not only discover dance, but also to create and perform their own dance.

ChoreoFunk enriches students with a new understanding of contemporary dance and its background, while developing their skills in choreography and creativity.

FREE WORKSHOP for a minimum of 5 teachers after school. The Expressions Dance team will improve or refresh your own dance, movement and teaching practice.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: The Arts (dance, creativity) and HPE (movement, physical activity)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
Large flat space for arms length apart movement
Wooden floor preferred; concrete covered with gym flooring acceptable
No obstructions such as structural poles or low fans. No chairs
Power outlet

FACILITATED AND PERFORMED BY: Expressions Dance Company

DIRECTED BY: Natalie Weir and Nerida Matthaei

Back by popular demand is a new production of Joyride, with a young and dynamic cast.

This is a thought-provoking play about the challenges faced by young people as a result of dangerous and reckless actions

From Zeal Theatre Queensland, one of Australia’s most engaging school theatre companies, Joyride tells the haunting story of two teenage friends who steal a car and go on a joyride which results in a fatal accident.

Joyride addresses issues of juvenile crime and punishment, drug and alcohol abuse, harassment and homelessness.

FREE WORKSHOP in characterisation and play building for up to 30 students plus 2 teachers if you book Joyride for 250 students. Additional characterisation and play building workshops can be booked for $300 + GST.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: The Arts (drama), English, Pastoral Care, Legal, SOSE (culture and identity) and Health (personal development)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
Chairs set in U-shaped formation on a flat floor with a 4m x 4m performance space
Actors work within this U-shaped area
Students may also be seated on the floor
Power outlet

PRODUCED BY: Zeal Theatre Queensland

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Rob Dilley, Louise Chapman and Stefo Nantsou

DIRECTED BY: Mike Foster

Explore and acquire the skills of juggling for Secondary students.

This professional juggling workshop starts with the basic juggling pattern for three, four and five objects. At the end students will be able to juggle with a number of props including scarves, balls, juggling clubs, rings, a small unicycle and a roller board.

Students will be invited to participate and will learn the basic steps they need to master to be able to juggle. Not just fun, the workshop promotes skills in co-ordination and balance. Students can juggle by themselves; share their skills with another juggler or a whole class!

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: A clear space that will accommodate 30 students
No obstructions such as structural poles or low fans. No chairs.
Minimum height 2.5 metres
Power outlet

PRODUCED BY: Spring Media Entertainment

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Syd Heylen Jnr
 

Experience Shakespeare like never before through dynamic physicality and contemporary beats and both classic and modern text.

Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet was first created in 2005 and was a hit with students and teachers throughout Queensland. At the request of teachers statewide we return it for a new generation.

Students can once again explore Shakespearian language and the tale of two-star crossed lovers through physical theatre. Filled with love, lust, hatred and betrayal, this performance creates 16th Century characters modern students can relate to.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: English and The Arts (drama)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS: Indoor venues only
6m wide x 6m deep x 3.5 m high
Wooden floors or cement covered with gym flooring only
Power outlet

PRODUCED BY: Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre
DIRECTED BY: Katrina Cornwell and Stephen Mitchell Wright
DESIGNED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY: Stephen Mitchell Wright
SCRIPT ADAPTATION BY: Christopher Beckey
COMPOSED BY: Chris Perren
 

Have a hands-on experience and be a part of a Caribbean steel drum ensemble

Steel Drums Residency is a unique and feature packed workshop. Three ensembles of twelve students will play a Caribbean Steel Drum as part of an ensemble of 24 drums. Each group will be proficient at playing at least one whole tune of their own.

In the afternoon the whole school will be invited to a Steel Drums concert. The workshop presenters from the Australian Academy of Steel Drums will perform with the three ensembles from the workshops. The concert will conclude with an interactive question and answer time.

Students will learn about the invention and making of steel drums along with their geographical, historical and social context.

Schools may also book a stand-alone Steel Drums Performance, which does not include the workshops.

STAGING REQUIREMENTS

• An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
• Minimum 6m x 6m floor space, for the workshops to accommodate 24 drums
• A hall or undercover area to accommodate the afternoon performance (drum ensemble and audience)
• Power access for the PA system
• Access to photocopier to copy drum charts for workshop participants

PRODUCED BY The Australian Academy of Steel Drums
 

History explored through music

Fiddlesticks duo Karen and Jacko link music compositions with modern history.

Relive the historical journey of a 216-year-old cursed French Violin as it claims the lives of its owners, performer by performer, era by era.

The French Revolution, the struggle of secessionists and abolitionists in North America, the Gold Rushes in Gympie and trench warfare in World War I all have their own musical signature.

FREE WORKSHOP in new fiddle techniques and electronic looping for up to 30 senior students plus 2 teachers if you book The Curse of the Breton Fiddle for 250 students. Additional music-making workshops can be booked for cost $300 + GST.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS

The Arts (music, drama, media), SOSE (time, continuity and change, place and space, culture and identity) and Modern History

STAGING REQUIREMENTS

• Only suitable for indoors to maximize video projection and sound quality
• Min. 5m wide x 8m deep
• Power outlet

PRODUCED AND PRESENTED BY Fiddlesticks

Learn how to reduce energy consumption at home and in your school

Gemma is worried about her family’s electricity use as they often leave the houselights, air-conditioning, computer and TV switched on all day. She’s convinced that making changes to energy consumption is her responsibility. Gemma finds that changing her own energy-saving behaviour is quite simple - it’s persuading others that’s hard.

Get the facts, make the change, live a sustainable lifestyle and save. Unplugged is an interactive forum-theatre performance about energy use and awareness. It’s up to students to initiate energy saving strategies for their school and at home.

UNPLUGGED and QAC’s Teachers Resource Kit complement Essential Learnings in English, FREE SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOP for 30 students and 2 participating teachers to develop your own Energy Sense Action Plan. Additional workshops can be booked subject to availability.

TAKE THE PHOTO CHALLENGE
Create photos with a slogan about electricity for display on the Ergon Energy website. At the end of the semester the school with the best photo will receive a free Energy Sense Day. See details in QAC’s Teachers Resource Kit.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS
SOSE (place and space), Arts (drama), Technology (technology as human endeavour) and Science (energy and change)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS

• An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
• 6m wide x 4m deep stage space
• Power outlet

PRODUCED AND PRESENTED BY: Ergon Energy and Queensland Arts Council

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Kris Plummer

SUITABLE FOR: Secondary Schools

Explore language, themes and characters from Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Will Power is a thought-provoking and innovative exploration of William Shakespeare’s most powerful plays. It stimulates classroom discussion and invites students into a deeper engagement with Shakespearean text.

Will Power features a power struggle when Hamlet and Lady Macbeth both decide to run for Head of the Shakespeare Council. Using scenes from their plays, they do everything they can to undermine the other.

But it’s when they drag other plays into their debate, they realise that it is Shakespeare himself who really has the most power. By pulling apart his language and techniques, they discover how he’s managed to remain the most important playwright of all time.

FREE WORKSHOP on how to manage and enjoy speaking Shakespeare’s language for up to 30 students plus 2 teachers if you book Will Power for 250 students. Additional workshops can be booked for $300 + GST.

This program is proudly supported by the Siganto Foundation.

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: English and The Arts (drama)

STAGING REQUIREMENTS

• An indoor venue guarantees a better performance
• 5m wide x 4m deep
• Power outlet

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Johanna Ratcliffe

DESIGNED BY Simon Ratcliffe