Into the Woods and on to the Stage for Year 12 Student
Year 12 student, Demi Markakis performing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Congratulations to Year 12 student Demi Markakis who will perform on the Playhouse Theatre stage and share her theatrical work as part of the Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority’s Top Class program.
The stagecraft examination assesses the ability of VCE Theatre Studies students to interpret a monologue from a playscript and justify their interpretive decisions.
Of the fourteen monologues on offer, Demi selected the one from Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods. The monologue is sung by Little Red Ridinghood, and consists of the details about her visit to ‘grandmother’s house’.
“Demi’s thorough research of the contexts of both the playwright and the world of the play lay the foundation for her to be able to develop a strong and cohesive interpretation of the monologue. It is a formidable challenge to take on the role of both actor and director, but Demi took this in her stride, and was able to experiment with different stagecraft areas and approaches to the character to refine her performance and the meaning she wanted to communicate to her audience,” explains Mr James Brown, Head of Performing Arts.
Demi (far right) as Little Red Ridinghood from Into the Woods.
“Ultimately, she was able to master the theatrical style, use of non-naturalistic elements and find the right balance between the colourful fairytale world and the poignant messages and warnings of Sondheim’s playscript.
“I am thrilled that Demi now has the opportunity to perform on the Playhouse Theatre stage and share her work at the Top Class session.”
Top Class performances commence Monday 19 March. Demi performs on Tuesday 20 March. Further details are available here.
