This afternoon the grade 7s & 8s travelled to Earl Haig to see students from Claude Watson School of the Arts perform in The Oath.
The Oath is an adaptation of Aristophanes' Lysistrata and was originally performed in Athens in 411 BC. In the Claude Watson version, we are taken to post-apocalyptic, futuristic Toronto where gangs abound and warfare is a means of survival. Our female main character is Jordan (Lysistrata in the original) and she persuades the young women in the opposing gangs that they must find a way to force the male gang members to negotiate for peace.
Like Lysistrata, The Oath is an excellent example of women engaging in debate and using intelligence to overcome a male-dominated war-driven society. Peace over war. Love over hate. Family over basic survival. Birth over death. The themes were intelligent and mature. This play was written and produced for a middle-school/adult age group and performed by a fantastic group of TDSB students. Our grade 7s and 8s are so very capable of mature, intelligent dialogue and content and this production will certainly bring forth interesting viewpoints from our students. I look forward to sharing and discussing with them this week.
Like Lysistrata, The Oath is an excellent example of women engaging in debate and using intelligence to overcome a male-dominated war-driven society. Peace over war. Love over hate. Family over basic survival. Birth over death. The themes were intelligent and mature. This play was written and produced for a middle-school/adult age group and performed by a fantastic group of TDSB students. Our grade 7s and 8s are so very capable of mature, intelligent dialogue and content and this production will certainly bring forth interesting viewpoints from our students. I look forward to sharing and discussing with them this week.
