Inter-house plays

The Sizzling ’17 house plays were devised theatrical pieces inspired by the themes: “Spare Rib” or “Fake News”. The Form IV girls were tasked to cast by Friday 28 July, rehearse up a storm over the weekend, hold the final dress rehearsal on Monday and perform on Tuesday – and they did it. Sarah Terry, an Old Girl swung in to adjudicate. She spoke most eloquently about the successes of each of the plays. The girls were commended on their
sincerity and opinions inspired by the themes. The body of work presented clearly demonstrated word, action and a theatrical aesthetic to express very real and meaningful ideas of the world, gender bias as well as a celebration of simply being a girl.

STAMP

The Saints Art Music and Performance (STAMP) Festival took on a slightly new look this year as we celebrated all work that had been created within the St Mary’s community.

The theme was “Women”, appropriately selected to coincide with women’s month. The morning began with a heart-wrenching documentary titled Strike a Rock produced and directed by Aliki Saragas. Her documentary follows the life of the women of Marikana after the devastating massacre in 2012. Do yourself a favour and go to strike a rock to find out more about this sensational story that has yet to find fair and reasonable
conclusion – the struggle continues.

On offer on the day were FEDA plays, slam poetry, matric final practical examination pieces, coding, chess and DJing. The Science department presented demonstrations. The day ended with a showcase of the sensational dance and singing talent in The Edge. A big “thank you” goes to the technical crew – Barry, Jarred and Luke – who worked hard to ensure this day was successful.

Cultural Awards

The awards ceremony took on a very different format this year owing to the proximity to STAMP. We transformed the gym to look rather spectacular. Performances were solos, duets or quads, and the girls blew their audience away. The evening was well supported by staff, girls and parents. This was a fitting end to a rather frenetic but wonderful week of cultural experiences. Two very special Form IV girls volunteered to help with all the cultural events this term. I extend a huge thank you to Georgina van der Poel and Veneka Paradza for being so generous with their time, patient with my indecisiveness, creative in their outlook and, finally, their contribution to the success of the events this term.

Jane McMurray
Head of culturals