Contemporary+Australian+Theatre+Essay

Past HSC Question 2006__**
 * __Contemprary Australian Theatre Essay

"The ideas in Australian plays are dull. It is the images that bring them to life."

Discuss this statement, showing how Australian theatre practitioners engage their audiences through varying theatrical styles and techniques. In your answer, refer to AT LEAST TWO texts set for the topic you have studied. Matt Cameron, //Ruby Moon// Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman, //The Seven Stages of Grieving//

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Notes from the Board of Studies Marking Centre from 2006

Stronger responses:
 * • demonstrated a sophisticated, detailed and insightful engagement with the question
 * • discussed how theatrical and dramatic elements are employed to bring ideas to life through a range of images
 * • used the term ‘ideas’ as a springboard to explore Australian social, historical, political, personal, artistic and cultural concerns as they emerge in a performance context
 * • made insightful and analytical references to the plays in performance, whether in imagined, workshopped or professional performance contexts
 * • employed appropriate theatrical terminology
 * • demonstrated an understanding and appreciation of the playwrights’ intentions and audience reception
 * • presented their discussion in a logically structured and coherent manner.

Weaker responses:
 * • did not directly address the specific requirement of the question and ignored key terms including ‘ideas’, ‘images’ and ‘engaging the audience’
 * • discussed the plays as literary texts rather than as scripts for performance
 * • based their responses upon the general implications of the rubric to the detriment of the specific question
 * • used inappropriate or superficial textual evidence and/or token employment of workshop experience
 * • relied on formulaic or prepared responses, using key terms from previous HSC questions
 * • gave personal, biased opinions, retold the plot, made sweeping generalisations and/or provided inaccuracies or misinformation that were not relevant to the question
 * • employed theatrical terminology inaccurately or inappropriately.