Adventure in Toyland
(Kathleen and the Magic Dreadful Dust) (ran for two seasons at
Marian St Theatre, Killara, Sydney
The Wizard of
Auz (performed by the Central Victorian Performing Arts
Group)
ACADEMIC COURSES
The TeXt Files:
Introduction to Cultural Studies
Why do people like some television shows
and not others? Why do certain films resonate with audiences while
others flop? Why do certain ads irritate viewers while some are
sung in the shower?
This unit explores how various media (including
television, film, advertising, literature music videos and magazines)
communicate with audiences in different cultural contexts and
the messages that audiences interpret. The unit uses a range of
visual texts such as the films, True Lies, American Beauty, Scream
and Galaxy Quest and the television shows, Seinfeld, The X-Files,
The Simpsons, Friends and Just Shoot Me to explore some of these
questions.
Students are also asked to collect advertisements
from magazines as diverse as Inside Sport, Barbie Magazine, Juice,
the Woman’s Weekly and examine the structure and positioning:
what are these ads really saying? Further, students are asked
to read novels by some of last century’s leading novelists
and watch music videos from contemporary artists. By enrolling
in this unit, you will think learn to think critically about the
texts you watch and read every day and apply different types of
written and oral analyses from book, film, and television reviews
to critical essays. If you like watching television and films,
reading and listening to music and you have an inquiring mind,
then this is the unit for you!
"True Grit": Youth, Subcultures
and the Media
Why do young people pierce their bodies, or identify with particular
forms of body art and musical styles? Why do young people resist
authority? Take drugs? Commit suicide? By examining a range of
films, television shows (including current affairs), newspaper
reports, magazines and music videos, this unit explores the relationship
between youth, subcultures and the media.
The unit commences with a history of significant
youth subcultures and explores the ways in which the grunge, post-punk,
"new-age" and gothic movements have evolved out of older
sub-cultural forms. The lectures focus on cultural products such
as film, television, novels, musicians and music videos and examine
youth icons from both mainstream and alternative cultures from
Kurt Cobain and Marilyn Manson to Katie Holmes. The movies Trainspotting,
Go!, Wild Things, Disturbing Behaviour, Romeo and Juliet, Tank
Girl, Praise, and Metal Skin as well as the novels Praise, Zig-zag
Street, Eat Me and Loaded, and the music of contemporary bands
will also be analysed.
Wonderworlds: (Re)Imagining
the Future – Fantasy, Film and Other Narratives
The future has long been a source of wonder and fascination for
a variety of cultural producers and commentators. As the Millennium
approaches a lot of the fears, desires and anxieties of individuals
and communities have resurfaced in various popular cultural forms.
This unit seeks to investigate some of the
ways in which the future and alternate worlds have been imagined.
The Bible, the prophecies of Nostradamus, the legends of Count
Dracula and other nightmarish monsters, witches, aliens, cyborgs,
UFOs and galactic empires will all be examined. What these diverse
interpretations suggest about humanity and just what is included
and excluded from the notion of "human" will also be
analysed.
For those of you who have wondered about
the world, about the future and its myriad possibilities and enjoy
texts as diverse as Shakespeare’s Macbeth, James Cameron’s
Terminator II, Gene Rodenberry’s Star Trek, The X Files,
the works of Larry Niven, Octavia Butler and David Eddings, then
this is the unit for you. The truth is out there – Wonderworlds
doesn’t promise to find it, but it will be interesting trying!
The Caz Klein Series
It's Time, Casandra Klein
It's Caz Klein's thirteenth birthday and, as usual, the family is gathered to watch her blow out the candles. Even her father, Gustave Klein, who is considered mad by the entire family, is present...
The Gaze of Gorgon
It is the last day of school before the Christmas Holidays and Caz has incurred the wrath of the nasty Deputy Principal, Miss Snodgrass, and been given detention. Caz dared to argue with her about the relative merits of Harpies.
The Book of Night
Ten long months have passed since Caz last went to Morphea and much has happened. Her father, Gus, is mentally deteriorating. Trying to put aside her worries, Caz determines to celebrate Halloween with her friend Simon.
The Kurs of Atlantis
Caz and Simon embark on their final and most dangerous quest yet, sailing to the Borders of Imagination to try and find the lost city of Atlantis. As they prepare to leave, the Castle of Sangreal is attacked, throwing their plans into disarray.
