Letters to Lindy

Reflecting on the powerful performances in ‘Letters to Lindy’ a couple of weeks ago, post production conversations have included discussions about the strong emotional responses from the audience including shame, indignation and empathy. Memories from the Lindy Chamberlain era have resurfaced and for some, a re-examination of our beliefs. Such a powerful catalyst was created by the performance of a group of talented and hardworking students. The lockdowns of 2020 were also a catalyst for exploring the human condition as the themes of isolation and connection were highly evident in the current Top Arts exhibition at the Ian Potter Centre. What are the dispositions, characteristics and qualities of The Arts learning ‘architecture’ that supports and encourages such unflinching topics to be examined in such a resolved and convincing manner?

Tianyi (Lydia) Hu, Year 9

The Arts, while all distinctly different courses at St Catherine’s School, have project, inquiry and experiential based learning in common at the heart of all curriculum design, Co-curricular opportunities and pedagogy. Practice is creative, performative, embodied, reflective and critical. The cast of ‘Letters to Lindy’ ‘wore the shoes’ so to speak of their characters just like music performers embody music in their physicality and connection; and Visual Arts students become artists, media producers and designers to explore communicating in a visual language.

Sienna Rigg, Year 9 Art

To articulate their experiences, a range of students reflected upon some of the characteristics and opportunities of The Arts education and Co-curricular offerings at St Catherine’s School.

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Allison Duong, Year 12 VCE Visual Arts

“I chose to undertake VCE Visual Arts subjects because it allows me to truly explore and express my creativity. Studio Arts and Visual Communication Design help to expand my creative thinking, and push me to think deeply whilst also being inspired by other artists and designers. In the future, I hope to potentially incorporate Visual Arts into my university studies as a breadth subject.”

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Anonymous ‘Letters to Lindy’

“This was my favourite play so far. I really like the content of the script and how it was both emotional and sad, yet also funny… sometimes scary… Although it was very challenging and tiring, it was fun and rewarding.

I found it most challenging to understand Lindy’s pain… I learnt to be less judgmental of people in the media because there are lots of opportunities for us to easily jump on the band wagon and believe what the media is saying without looking at any evidence.”

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Stella Jesudason, Year 9 Visual Arts

“Both of my Visual Arts electives, Media and Visual Communication Design have taught me to utilise my time, keeping me organised. One of my favourite qualities about the Visual Arts classrooms would be how the environment is so calm. It is also impressive to observe other students’ artwork and see the various ideas other students create in their interpretation of a task.”

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Victoria Patsakos, Year 12 Theatre Studies

“A large aspect of being in the ‘theatre’ is trial and error, as well as working with each other – so, having a strong team to work off is definitely a highlight. Independence, time management and being creative are all part of a theatre production (especially for Theatre Studies). But, one of the most unforeseen teachings that being part of this production is patience – patience in working with others, patience in yourself and trust in the processes that you’re undertaking.”

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Charlotte Aston, Year 12 Music

“I love being surrounded by like-minded and passionate people who love music as much as I do. Collaborating and hearing other’s discoveries, thoughts and musical opinions is very interesting, and we inspire each other. Working with and learning from my peers is definitely something that I do regularly. Every second week on Wednesday morning, we all perform a piece to our teacher and class, and after our performance we receive constructive and positive feedback, and then the whole class takes time unpacking the performance and learning about the techniques used.”

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Sophie Williams, Year 12 Theatre Studies

“Every time someone puts forth an idea, it’s trialled and everyone is accepting of new ideas which means every bit of theatre is a collaborative effort. Moving into the end of Year 12 and university, I think the independence and problem-solving ability that Theatre Studies has instilled in me will greatly help my future endeavours.”

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Jessica Paterson, Year 9 Media

“I enjoy the environment, being able to receive honest feedback as well as having the freedom to create all the lighting and creations that benefit me. I think that all the students in the room have been very independent in their learning, setting aside a time to work on their artwork and visual diary.”

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Megan Chang, Year 11 Music

“I enjoy being with other musicians who share the same passion for music. Learning music has taught me important life-skills such as time management, self-discipline and independence. It has taught me to appreciate both positive and negative feedback and importance of teamwork and learning from others.”

Year 8 Art