MYP Project based on ‘Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress’

Posted on January 17, 2012 by ISTA

In the months January to May, the Chinese International School’s Drama and French Department embarked on an MYP Interdisciplinary Project of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. This concluded with a Production and Language/Culture tour of London and Paris.

The Project’s success lay in the close collaboration between the two departments, and was supported on a number of levels by the English, Humanities, Art and Chinese Departments.

The curriculum focus of the project was embedded in the Year 10 Drama and French courses in semester two which saw students study the themes of the Cultural Revolution through the eyes and imaginations of the characters of Dai Sijie’s novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.  

 The co-curricular aspect of the project was two tiered:

1)    The lecture series delivered to Year 10 across a number of rotation periods, which drew on CIS staff members’ experience, knowledge and eye-witness accounts of the Cultural Revolution.

2)    The MYP Production of an adapted version of Dai Sijie’s novel which was opened to all students studying the MYP Course at CIS.

The extra-curricular outcome of the MYP Interdisciplinary Project was a Production and Language/Culture tour of London and Paris. This outcome of the project was opened to all students studying Year 10 French and all students involved in the MYP Production of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.

 Throughout the Project there were a number of highlights that come to mind.  Although performing the work of students to appreciative London and Parisian audiences was certainly something special, and attending engaging workshops on Commedia del Arte, Musicals and mime were unique experiences, there happened to be one moment that was all encompassing, the moment when one of the students on tour oversaw a man reading an article when waiting for the Eurostar, titled “Mao’s Red Guards burned my family history” (which was in Saturday’s Guardian newspaper). It was one of those moments in teaching that reinforced the importance of how approaching curriculum from a layered perspective creates students that are more engaged with the world which surrounds them.

The article could not have been timed better.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/04/guo-yue-china-childhood-cultural-revolution?INTCMP=SRCH

The MYP Interdisciplinary Production Project was a rewarding experience for all students and teachers involved.

By Mitch Grace, Rachel Jackson and Christèle Joly

Posted in Uncategorized |

Turning on the TaPs…

Posted on January 10, 2012 by ISTA

With the new year comes a new programme of TaPS scheduled for autumn 2012. Bookings for student groups opens Monday 16th January – so please get in early as places are likely to go quickly. We will have our two London TaPS as usual – a return to Stratford upon Avon (yeah!); then we head to Kuala Lumpur and Bangalore in Asia Pacific; and our annual event in New York runs as usual.
Dates and essential details will be listed by Monday morning – so you should have time to review the basics before booking your students in.
We hope you can join us.

Posted in Registration, TaPs |

A call for hosts…

Posted on January 10, 2012 by ISTA

My plan is to get the 2012-2013 Festival calendar finished by the end of January. I am nearly there BUT, decidedly short of venues in Europe for both MS and HS Festivals. I’ll keep plugging away with individual emails but if any of you can step in and help us out, even if it’s not officially your turn, we’d be immensely grateful.
So, take a deep breath and go for it – please – it’s so important we have a full line up of Festivals…
Please email Sal directly to say ‘we’ll go for it’ or to ask questions if you have them.
Sal (sally@ista.co.uk)

Posted in Registration, TaPs |

Happy Holidays

Posted on December 23, 2011 by ISTA

ISTA would like to thank everyone for their support throughout 2011.

We hope that you enjoy the festive season, and discover all that you have wished for in 2012. See you in the New Year.

Warm wishes from ISTA

xxx

Far from putting their feet up, the ISTA office staff have much work to do…

Posted in Uncategorized |

Scene online

Posted on December 20, 2011 by ISTA

Scene 2011-12, December issue 2 is now available in the green room library.

As part of our ‘green scene’ movement, ISTA’s quarterly journal will now be published online, in place of the original hard copy.
We would like to thank you all for your support in this transition, and like you, we are very excited to be able to help make a positive difference in the battle against climate change. Furthermore, you can now gain remote access to scene; download issues, individual articles and resources at your convenience.

Download your copy by logging into the green room library.

(Scene 2011-12, December issue 2 can be found at the bottom of the library download list).

Posted in Scene online |

Just a bit of paper…

Posted on November 18, 2011 by ISTA

Please forgive me a moment of shameless self promotion! I am attaching an two e-flyers for my show ‘Just a Bit of Paper’, one is aimed at theatres and the other at primary schools. If you want any further information please contact me louise@libelluletheatre.co.uk.

Flyers below…

JaBop-eFlyer- year 1 children

JaBop-eFlyer- age 3 – 5

Thank you

Louise Clark

Posted in Back stage whispers... |

watch oot ma kilts on fire!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by ISTA

Been very busy this month, preparing a show about whisky and haggis in Scotland, dinning on pancakes in Holland (whilst watching me boat sink, I knew that plug was not the bath plug!) Made the crowds roar with my Mrs Mop act and on wednesday I shall waltz down the red carpet in Paris for the opening of the film of which I am in, Jeanne Captive and that’s The Silence of Joan to all thee non speakers of French…watch oot ma kilts on fire!

Chris Craig

Posted in Back stage whispers... |

PYTF 2012 ready for registrations…

Posted on November 16, 2011 by ISTA

Porthleven Youth Theatre Festival 2012 is now open for registration! It was so popular last year, the Festival is now happening twice… back to back!!!
ONEN: July 28 – 31 and DIU: Aug 1 – 4 2012. The content during the Festivals will be the same, just a change of participants – each weaving their own creative magic and inspiration.
For more information and a good old giggle at our ‘bloopers’ real from PYTF 2011 follow the link! PYTF 2012 …ISTA would love to see you there

 

Porthleven poster… here to download

Posted in Uncategorized |

On Reflection…at TaPS

Posted on November 15, 2011 by ISTA

The last two months have seen another round of successful TaPS for students and teachers. We kicked off in London where our home was the amazing Dominion Theatre and two highlights in particular. We were joined by practitioners from Central School of Speech and Drama who delivered a challenging range of master classes from Verbatim Theatre to Puppetry and Development; Postdramatic Theatre to Le Coq. The second highlight for all was undoubtedly the fantastic production of The Railway Children at Waterloo Station.

A few weeks later we found ourselves in New York where students gathered to see the Broadway production of War Horse (with talk back) as well as the immersive theatre experience Sleep No More by Punchdrunk Theatre. As I write we are on the eve of 140 students heading to Hong Kong to the last in our series of autumn student TaPS. Master classes will include Applied Theatre, Tanzanian Theatre, Victorian Melodrama and Horse Play on the Chinese Stage amongst others…

In January 2012 we will launch the venues and dates for our 2012-2013 TaPS. A return to Stratford-upon-Avon for our 3^rd venue in Europe and we move to two TaPS in Asia where Bangalore and Kuala Lumpur will play host.

“TaPS is an incredible experience for any theatre lover, in any school, in any part of the world. It allows you to work with an international mix of professionals and fellow students and opens so many doors that you never knew existed.”

Posted in Backstage, On Reflection... |

On Reflection…in Dresden

Posted on November 15, 2011 by ISTA

 

90 inspirational international students, 12 amazing visiting teachers, 6 innovative global artists, and 2 phenomenal hosts! Dresden high school Festival, ‘All this happened more or less’, was fun fuelled and artistically rich. Full of commitment, enthusiasm and a sense of challenge. Student’s ideas in response to ‘Slaughterhouse 5’ (Kurt Vonnegut) and the sites and sounds of Dresden were full of insight and discovery. Clowns improvising in the ‘Zwinger courtyard’, singing about the past, present and future, a ‘bunch of bananas’ (collective name for the TeK ensemble) calling the show with consummate ease, and students reliving and re-creating stories from a beer mat. Kurt Vonnegut would have been proud!

Thank you Kate Olson and Lee Barlow for a great start to 2011/12 Festivals!

“I’ve become SO much more confident. I first came to the festival not sure what to expect but I realized that people won’t really laugh at me but with me ” Hannah Goebel, Student, Frankfurt International School

Dresden Festival Oct 2011

Posted in Backstage, On Reflection... |