Farewell from Peter Eyers
When I was in Year 7 my English teacher, Mr Simmons, announced that he was going to produce a play called Way Up in the Clouds. It was a script written for school children to perform and concerned a battle between The Sheep and an alien race called The Nimrods.
I was fortunate to be cast in the role of the arbiter. The setting of the play was on Cloud 9. The Tinker broke a peace deal between the sides and all lived happily ever after. It was a simple story, modestly staged, but as I reflect I now recognise the influences of Bertolt Brecht and epic theatre at work in that school play; the faces and names of my fellow cast mates. I can even recall the long overcoat I wore, dripping with various cooking utensils and scarves. It was heavy! It’s a memory that is vivid.
Why am I sharing this with you? It took place some 40 years ago. However, I can still replay it in my recollections of school days. The images and events that stay with us from our school days are not the Physics exam we didn’t pass, the train that always made us late, the 1500m race (although I remembered I suffered an asthma attack) or the salad servers made in Woodwork class (I’m forced to remember those as Mum still has them in the drawer.)
What we recall in glorious colour and movement from that time in our youth are the school plays, the music concerts, the dance recitals and the excursions to the theatre. We recall the opportunities to perform. The performing arts leaves an indelible impression on the psyche and helps to shape who we are, whether we become performers or employ our talents in a myriad of other ways.
I have always recognised that responsibility when staging repertoire, using it to guide the students as they plough varied texts and construct self-devised works whilst navigating the Acting stream or in Academic drama. Each time they presented a performance, I reminded myself and my staff that this was an experience that the kids would remember all their lives. We have contributed something special. Teaching is a privileged role to be in. Teaching Drama at the College has been such a joyous and rewarding experience.
Unlike Mr Simmons, we have been able to access a terrific list of playwrights and texts to give the students a variety of experiences of form, style and culture. There are too many to list here, but some of my most satisfying rehearsal periods have seen students rise to the occasion in productions of Under Milkwood, Clinchfield, The Crucible, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Our Town and The Visit – texts that have required an investment of strong acting, ensemble cohesion and brilliant imagination.
For a period of time, the students in an ensemble have merged into a strong bond, sharing an experience that is ephemeral. It exists for a short season and then they move on to another project. But they carry with them memories of that precious experience and hopefully greater knowledge of another period, history, psychology, location or culture. They’ve told a story.
I’m thrilled that in my time at the College, various students have gone on to study Acting, Musical Theatre or Directing at NIDA, WAAPA and VCA. Some have completed Film-making courses or become game designers. Some have their own YouTube channels or teach Drama. Some work in production. And there are others who use their creative skills to drive a range of occupations or navigate parenthood.
Our students are most fortunate to have parents who have supported them in their performing arts endeavours and pursuits. The taxi services you provide, the endless hours waiting in carparks, the countless performances you attend, the instruments you buy, the lessons you pay for, the tears and ecstasy you manage, and the opportunities you provide. Thank you for allowing them to follow their dream, hone their craft and develop memories they will hold forever. No matter where their journey ends, the performing arts has provided them with an essential education in humanity.
My time in the Acting department has been aided by the contributions and support of various colleagues who have come and gone. I say thank you to Linda Lorenza, Michael Harrop, Mark Brady, Rachel Magner, Yure Covich, Sean Hall, Nick Brown, Eden Falk, Stephen Colyer, David Lynch, Penny Cook, Di Smith, Anne Trevaskis, Josh Quong-Tart, Ana-Maria Belo, Romy Bartz, Carol Condran, Peter Eirth, Mary Vasey and the wonderful Kaye Lopez who have all invested unique talents into our students and supported me in the delivery of engaging work.
Although I am about to ‘exit stage left’, I take with me celebratory memories of this particular school experience, to add to those started by Mr Simmons in Year 7. Naturally, I am disappointed I won’t have the opportunity to continue to guide the current students with who I have been working, but I look forward to hearing of their development and attending a performance when I can. I wish them joy in all theatrical pursuits and remind them to always love the art in themselves and not themselves in the art.
So, when next you complete that piano recital or dance in Giselle or sing Defying Gravity or win in the eisteddfod or lose the eisteddfod, or play The Tinker – remember you are existing in a moment that you will cherish forever. Make each experience of a performing art count! We, the audience, are depending on you.
Until next time.
Peter Eyers
Head of Acting (2005 – 2018)
“And whether we shall meet again I know not. Therefore our everlasting farewell take: For ever, and for ever, farewell! If we do meet again, why, we shall smile; If not, why then, this parting was well made.”
Julius Caesar – William Shakespeare