Focus on ...

The Quest
for the
Gorgon's Head

Heroic Quests: Level 5 – Perseus must risk all to save his mother from evil, acquire magical items along a dangerous path and then fight the villainous Medusa before time is up! But is it a video game or real life for our hero? Take a journey back into Greek mythology and into the future of virtual reality as you follow Perseus on a quest of a lifetime!
An inventive, interactive theatrical experience 
in English.

Interview

Jeff: This is a good question. I don't know exactly why this came about exactly, except we felt we work well together and wanted to take our chances creating something from the ground up.

Caroline: We have an expression in English: several minds are better than one - this is especially true in dramatic writing. Collaborative playwriting assures that all the characters are equally effective. It brings a sense of balance to the plot which might otherwise favour an author's preferred character or theme.

Dario: We thought it would be a good idea to make more of a collective creation where we would be more responsible right from the start in the writing of the piece compared to previous productions where we received the written play at the first rehearsal.

Jeff: Dario came up with the idea of looking for a Greek myth so he could use masks etc. We liked this myth because of its dramatic action and sense of urgency.

Caroline: This story has a wonderful sense of action and suspense, a central character with an urgent quest, and a colourful cast of supporting characters who guide him – intentionally or not – towards a better understanding of his purpose.

What did you get out of this experience ? 

Caroline: I’ve learned a lot about the other company members’ approach to drama – how some of us are interested in small details, others in the big picture. We have created a system of checks and balances which we owe to our different and complementary personalities.

Dario: It is really interesting to confront the different points of view concerning the style of the piece and the selection of scenes and characters.

 Jeff: I am enjoying seeing something through to the end from the very, very beginning of the creative process. Usually an actor comes in at the relative end of the process, after the writer and just after the director. This is having a hand in the whole ball of wax. It will probably be hard to have to re-write or cut what we/I have written, even though I know it needs it.

aNCIeNT GreeKs in the French curriculum

¡ Anglais : un dossier pédagogique modulable, conforme aux programmes du cycle 3 & 6e sera mis en ligne prochainement
¡ Histoire, Cycle 3 : "Le programme d'histoire commence avec l'arrivée des Grecs et des Celtes"
¡ Histoire (BO 6e, p. 16) "La Grèce : naissance d'une culture, d'une organisation politique, de croyances."
¡ Français (BO 6e, p. 16)
La sensibilisation "aux littératures et aux civilisations antiques, fait partie intégrante de l’enseignement du français en classe de 6e. [...] Elle est favorisée par l’inscription au programme de la Bible et de textes grecs et latins,  modèles importants pour la culture française et européenne. L’objectif est double :
1. initier tous les élèves à la connaissance d’une culture fondatrice (étude des grands mythes, éléments de civilisation) ;
2. permettre à chacun de repérer dans le monde actuel l’héritage gréco-latin.
¡ Le théâtre en français (BO 6e, p. 37)
On peut, dès la 6e, aborder de façon rapide le théâtre, par le biais d’un ou de quelques extraits, voire d’une oeuvre brève, si cela s’inscrit dans un projet pédagogique spécifique et ne conduit pas à alourdir le programme. [...] Le théâtre peut aussi donner lieu à des pratiques orales (voir L’oral p. 43)