Hundreds of thousands of students and teachers who attend live theatre productions across NSW each year are among those affected by the COVD-19 pandemic.
Sydney-based theatre company, Sport for Jove, has been hard at work transforming their annual, five-month long education season from stage to screen, to ensure that students across NSW still have a way to experience the magic of theatre and live interaction for their studies.
One part of this online offering is their digital HSC symposiums series. In 2019, Sport for Jove engaged more than 35,500 students from more than 300 schools through their education season. Knowing that thousands of students and teachers were relying on the extensive 2020 HSC symposiums to support their study and HSC results, the team at Sport for Jove were determined to still be able to deliver valuable educational content despite the closure of theatres.
Sport for Jove artistic director Damien Ryan said: "Even though we can't be present with audiences at the moment, our rigorous and incredibly practical content is still absolutely spot on for students and teachers.
"The goal of our new digital symposiums is to help provide a theatre company's perspective on these incredible plays, with a sustained focus on all parts of the Rubrics being studied and on the plays as both literature and live experiences. Language, characters, scenes, themes, contexts, forms and concerns are analysed and discussed in immense detail by industry leading theatre makers. We are thrilled to be able to continue this support for students and teachers across the country."
The HSC symposiums are usually presented live with venue partners Riverside Parramatta and the Seymour Centre. The Seymour Centre has just opened bookings for seven digital HSC symposiums via their website. The symposiums, which will be released throughout the month of June and available online for both teachers and parents, are a testament to innovation against adversity in the arts.
The digital HSC symposiums and their release dates are:
- Merchant of Venice | June 6
- Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | June 11
- Traditions in Australian Theatre | June 12
- Richard III & Looking for Richard | June 16
- Waiting for Godot | June 17
- The Crucible | June 18
- The Tempest & Hagseed | June 19
Follow the link below for bookings and more information: https://www.seymourcentre.com/event/hsc-symposium-series-2020/