“Educators- you must (really. You must.) welcome the Shaun Parker Co to your school"
28 July 2018
THE YARD, Shaun Parker and Company's anti-bullying show aimed at Years 2 – 8 is touring into schools in Greater Sydney again in Term 3. There are some dates still available. Go here to enquire.
Already seen by thousands of kids across Greater Sydney, the message of THE YARD is one of inclusion and emotional resilience and is especially relevant today as Australian schools are among those with the highest reported incidence of bullying in the world.* SPCompany surveys reveal 95% said that after seeing THE YARD they would not bully again.
*(source: Mullis, Martin & Foy, 2008)
Comment from a teacher who saw the show in Term 2-
“Educators- you must (really. You must.) welcome the Shaun Parker Co to your school. I care not what you have to trade with executive to make it happen (your soul is a valid exchange...) just do it. Beg them to extend their tour of The Yard…
Not only are the dancers spectacular, but the concept and rendering of intention stunning, clever and richly provocative. A wonderful short and relevant piece to study with juniors for appreciation and to inspire narrative-based composition for all stages. The Yard picks up and navigates so many key social issues expertly, for students of all ages. It also interweaves such special stories and is testament to the rigorous workshop development origin.
Add to that the dancers’ beautiful, humble, approachable manner and Shaun’s extensive and sensitive management of both content and student-audience... they ticked every box we didn’t even know we had. And it is stupidly affordable….I think this genius deserves a round of applause for purveying not only the advancement of his cast- but the exposure of students across the country to important and accessible artistic work.”
– Amanda Barwick, Scots College, NSW
Read more
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Cheese gets a big smile from experts
25 July 2018
Five experts - 2 dieticians, 2 nutritionists and 1 biomedical scientist have said cheese is an important contributor to health because of it's calcium, protein and B12 content if eaten in moderation ( because of it's fat content). An overall plus!
We're big supporters of the cheese industry at SFS.
Read the details here
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Welcome to Term 3 NSW & SA!
24 July 2018
Term 3 has started for everyone now.
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Australia Playhouse morphs into NZ Playhouse
22 July 2018
By Michael Bell, NZ Playhouse
Back in 2012, New Zealand Playhouse first stepped foot on Australian soil. We crammed a fun two-hander show into a hire car and drove it around Tasmania for two weeks. In 2013, we extended the tour to a whole term and delighted children and high schoolers across both Tasmania and Victoria.
Some of our favourite questions to ask were “Who knows what kia ora means?”, “Who’s even heard of New Zealand?”
Meanwhile, our laid-back kiwi style hit the spot with audiences and the teachers.
Fast forward to 2016 and we became even more adventurous. Our shows toured from Brisbane to Perth and back again over the course of the year. We employed more and more Aussies in our casts and creative teams and it made sense to split our company into two troupes – New Zealand Playhouse and Australia Playhouse. And phew, what an operation it’s been! I can’t believe how many big and small Aussie towns I’ve seen in the last few years. I’m writing this on a plane to Hobart at the moment – one of my fave cities to be in.
But it’s also been tiring. We’re literally on the road from February until December. It’s difficult too – administrating a quick solution to a flat tyre in Perth when the tour manager is in Christchurch… that has all sorts of interesting challenges. It’s nothing that can’t be done, but in 2019, we’re tightening our operation up to make life a bit easier on ourselves. We’re going back to how we used to do things in 2013, and will grow in the ways we reckon we could have done back then. There’s nothing like biting the bullet.
So while we will retain our good relationships with the Aussie creatives we work with, we’re going employ an extra cast in New Zealand for term two, relieving the load for our NZ tour which is currently at absolutely full capacity. Then this cast will bring the show over to Vic and Tassie in term three.
This means that Vic and Tassie primary schools can expect a higher ratio of Kiwi accents in the cast (still with some Aussie accents in there), perhaps a few more anecdotes from New Zealand during question time, but the same hilarious shows you’ve come to know from both New Zealand Playhouse and Australia Playhouse.
If you’re in SA or WA, please make sure you enquire now aboutour 2018 shows - Red Riding Robyn Hood for primaries or Shakespeare: As You Write It for secondaries. We’ve also got just a couple of slots left in NSW and Vic for 2018. Otherwise, our Kiwi crew will look forward to seeing our friends in Vic and Tassie again in 2019 with our primary show The Tortoise and The Hare!
Original article printed in TasmanianTimes.
Image: Red Riding Robyn Hood
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Back to school today for Vic, Qld & WA schools.
16 July 2018
Have a great Term 3. Everyone else has another week or more of holidays. Enjoy.
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Looking to run incursions into schools?
15 July 2018
Reputable TIE company for sale. Contact us for details at info@showsforschools.com.au
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Only one more weekday sleep-in for some states.
12 July 2018
Make the most of it!
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Naidoc Week this week.
10 July 2018
This year's theme
Because of her, we can!
Pity schools are on holidays
Image: from Tanderrum, Melbourne Festival
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Last day of school for NSW, ACT, Tas and SA
6 July 2018
You made it throught the last week! Now join the rest of Australia on holidays.
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Haven't booked for book week yet?
4 July 2018
SFS has a number of great incursions for book week. Canny teachers booked last year if they wanted a show in the actual book week, but you might be lucky! Best idea is to give us a range of dates and if you know some days are better, tell which they are, so when we contact you, we can suggest dates/days that will suit.
Here are some of our shows targetting book week or reading variously for students from K-Yr 6.
Image: Book Week in Schools: Children's Book council of Australia shortlisted 2018 Picture Book.
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An interdisciplinary approach in research gets the best results.
3 July 2018
This will not be news to teachers!
Globally the emphasis on STEMM subjects (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine ) for research and innovation is fine, but without the humanities, arts, social sciences (HASS), how will these innovations work for people? How will they be translated and adopted?
Creative thinking is a key. Without equal funding and interdisciplinary funding so much potential is lost.
Read how Canada is leading the way.
Also read about interdisciplary approaches in Australia to wine and the meat industry.
Go here
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We're out of sync again.
2 July 2018
School holidays for some, school for others!
Enjoyed your Monday sleep-in NT, ACT, WA, Vic and Qld?
Tassie, NSW and SA are still slogging away this week.
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