On the first and third of April, the Theatre AG College and Salem Kolleg showcased a “Performance Slam” which consisted of artistic expressions such as theatrical improvisations, dancing, singing and the performance of the IB Solo Theatre Piece, an exam element of Theatre Arts. The main purpose of the “Performance Slam” was to support our IB 2 theatre arts students in their performance, assisting them with valuable audience feedback for their final portfolio.

Before welcoming the audience into the Aula, members of the Theatre AG distributed slips for the improvisations, consisting of three questions that would serve as a guide for the actors to improvise. The first section that had to be filled out included characters and their relationship to each other, the second being the setting and the third the issue at hand.

Once everyone answered the questions, we sorted them into three piles and mixed them up before kicking off a sensational evening.

The improvisations were well handled by the College and Salem Kolleg Theatre AG actors and were appreciated by the audience. Some spectators were actually keen on participating themselves.

Succeeding the improvisations, two members of the ensemble sang their own compositions leaving an inspirational atmosphere in the Aula, their talent was admired by the SIC community.

Following the musical acts, some members of the Salem Kolleg prepared a dance to the song “Umbrella” by Rihanna which was a great contrast to the previous performances setting an uplifting mood.

Finally, the highlight of the night, was the Solo Theatre Piece performance! Elitsa Nikolova performed an intense scene inspired by the Brazilian Theatre Theoretician Augusto Boal. In the program description, Elitsa explained the following, “My solo performance adapted from the Art of Silence by Jennifer S. Hartley, is tightly connected to the theme of oppression. It is based on the real story of actor Emilio Barreto. He was put in prison without charge by the Paraguay Stroessner dictatorship, where he spent 13 years in a cell the size of 4 by 2 meters.”

This emotional piece by Elitsa left its mark on the audience, and I am sure everyone who was watching was genuinely moved by her performance. Overall, the night was worthwhile and very memorable.

Pauline Heeckt- IB Year 1