Years 7 and 8 audiences sought to critique playwrights’ works

The crowd laughs, weeps, stamps their feet and shouts their opinions. Rich and poor, young and old, from near and far, sit next to each other in the huge Theatre of Dionysus just under the Acropolis, for the annual Great Dionysia Play Festival. Everyone has attended for free and the winning entry is chosen by the democratic vote of the whole crowd.

This is the model for the 2021 Martin-Lysicrates Prize, but the audience will be kids in years 7 and 8 sitting in the Riverside Theatres, Parramatta on 16 June or viewing online.

Students will watch three first acts, 12 minutes each; the sets basic and the costumes simple.

If you are interested in a group of your students seeing this free event at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta on 16 June from 11am or on livestream via the Australian Theatre for Young People’s on Demand platform, fill out this form.

The organisers are also offering a chance for students to get involved in the shortlisting process, which will provide them with insight into the playwriting process and heighten their ability to compare and critique pieces of creative writing. Students will read the 10-minute scripts together and chose the three plays they think deserve to be staged at Riverside Theatres.

Watching the performances on 16 June, students will see how well-known Australian playwrights tell a story, construct a character, build tension and make their audiences want more. Perhaps students will get inspired to write their own play.

Students will be asked to critically assess the performances and democratically cast their vote.

The English Teachers’ Association has developed a teachers’ kit, addressing aspects of the Stage 4 English, History and Drama.

For those who can’t watch the live stream, the recording will be accessible on the platform from shortly after the event until 25 June.