The Song Room, and Complete Works Theatre Company have created a vibrant, interactive show aimed at exciting and engaging children in the world of language and the limitless creativity of the imagination with Poetry Alive! launched as part of the celebrations for Cultural Diversity Week at Federation Square’s BMW Edge in March this year.
There is a focus on Australian poetry in Poetry Alive!that not only helps improve children’s literacy skills, but also helps with the telling of Australian stories to many of the students whose first language is not English who have not had that cultural exposure before. At the same time it provides an opportunity to celebrate, share and acknowledge that while Australians speak many languages and observe different faiths and cultures, this diversity actually strengthens and unites us.
The talented actors of Complete Works Theatre Company were coupled with the percussive brilliance of Song Room Teaching Artist, and Circus Oz Musical Director, Chris Lewis in a performance that directly involved the students in the storytelling and offered an array of possibilities for the creation of their own poems and stories.
From Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky to Banjo Paterson’s Mulga Bill’s Bicycle, from school yard rhymes to the silliness of the Goons, Poetry Alive! brought to life many favourite poems in a hilarious hour of rhyme and rhythm.
The Song Room has also created a teacher’s resource called the Poetry Alive! Resource Pack which includes a DVD of Mulga Bill’s Bicycle and audio recordings of poems to accompany this production. The resource is full of lesson ideas and tips on how to integrate poetry, language and learning into the classroom and the pack both prepares the students for the production and is a unit of work for teachers to continue using throughout the year.
"Poetry Alive! was a real stepping stone for reading and writing poetry, playing with words, rhyme and rhythm, use of props in drama and generally enjoying language."
Lorraine Rodreiquez, Teacher, Holy Family Primary School, VIC
The actors from Complete Works Theatre Company enthral their student audience with the brilliance of Banjo Paterson’s Mulga Bill’s Bicycle.
The children enthusiastically join in the live poetry experience, Poetry Alive! at BMW Edge.
