The aim of this project was to build on the experience of last year's ACP378: Out of the Ether: Devised Performance, "Project Australia". This was a trans-national collaboration between Deakin University students of Drama in Australia and English Language Students at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Students learned from UvA expanded their linguistic range and acuracy, developed art-related language literacy through description, interpretation and criticism from viewing and analysing the Australian students play building process and performance.
The original design of the project did not encompass direct participation in the performance aspect of the process, but the project ultimately expanded to integrate a recorded contribution to the performance event from some of the more enthusiastic Dutch students. This led to the question ... "WHY CAN'T WE BE IN THE PERFORMANCE?" (Prior, Y, 2010, Auatralia-Netherlands Project: Suburbia, ACP378: Lecture 1 at Deakin University, Burwood, Wednesday March 3, 2010)
Above: Our first live international video conference where-upon we presented research topics in cross-national groups. |
2010 - TAKING UP THE GAUNTLET The ambition of the 2010 project was to do exactly as the Dutch students had suggested - include them in the performance by beaming them in live. This has never been done before. A very challenging world first!
Above: Our initial set had the Dutchies projected on the middle house. At the eleventh hour, we moved this to a large screen at the side of the stage. Last year's devisors took a broad sweep of Australian (and Dutch) history and cultural identity as it's theme, asking the question, “how has our past written the present?”. This year a similar question was asked, but with a sharper focus, looking specifically at suburbia and asking how the suburbs have evolved, what the clichés of suburban existence are and how they have measured up to the reality. Below: Our suburban street set. In this project we became co-creaters. There were 3-4 live hook-ups spread throughout the semester in which both cohorts of students were able to gain a focus through the exchange. The video conference hook-ups served as;
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REFLECTIONS As an educator, the opportunity to be a part of a cutting edge
transnational learning project in action was too good to pass up. I have been
required to research and write about the transnational
methodology throughout my education degree, but never had modelled. The idea of learning in this fashion is very much in vogue, but takes a great deal of extra commitment; time, energy, money and even passion from the tutors leading it. Because it is a method of learning which is still being pioneered, it can present many challenges. Here I must interject that the vision, drive and tenacity displayed by both Roos Van Der Zwaard and Yoni Prior for this project was inspirational. I know that they poured hours of their own time into this to pull together script fragments, distribute lines equitably, ensure a coherent plot, overcome many a technical challenge, communicate and follow different threads via the web etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Admittedly, initially I was both excited and overwhelmed by the ambitious nature of the Australia-Netherlands project. I wasn't sure how we were going to do it. I am proud to say, we pulled off a remarkable show. The show we produced was zinging with the extra energy from our international counterparts. This project was fresh and it was alive. I have gained acres of knowledge and experience which I will undoubtabley take with me into my career as an educator and artist. The Quarter Acre Dreaming project has reminded me to dream big and expect the best of myself and my students. |
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Above: Dutch students critique "Project Australia" performance 
