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UNTOLD STORIES in partnership with ROAD, Branches of Hope
Using the power of theatre and social media to make a difference
Students aged 14-18 embarked on a quest to understand the plight of refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong and to create a piece of thought provoking theatre with their stories as inspiration. They were given just two and a half days to create a live performance of drama, music and physical theatre. In the final two days of the week, the students applied what they learned from a social media campaign masterclass and cut a total of 7 short films to be released weekly.
Thank you to ROAD, Branches of Hope for inspiring us. Our hope was to inspire action and that we have certainly achieved. Over 3k views on each video and student led projects started up as a result - we are trying to inspire young people "to be the change they wish to see in the world".
Practitioners
Darren Scully
ISTA has been a big part of Darren’s life since the early 1990s. He is a former Vice President of ISTA and a trustee. You may have seen him as AD, Rep or host of ISTA festivals both in Europe and Asia. He’s the Director of Performing Arts at the Western International School of Shanghai.
Darren has directed a lot of theatre in over 30 years as a teacher, from classic musicals to edgy experimental work. More recently he has been working on re-interpreting classical texts through physical theatre approaches and devised work in immersive, site-specific venues. He is an experienced AD at over 10 festivals and Student Ensemble Leader at TaPS (the IB Theatre programme). He has also worked a lot with teachers as Artist-in-Residence and for professional development at festivals. He has hosted 6 festivals at MS, HS and TaPS levels. Darren has been a contributor to ISTA’s journal, Scene, and co-authored IB Theatre Arts training for teachers.
Née Anne Wu, Anne has been teaching music and musical theatre since 1994 and her work in and outside the classroom has taken her around the world. As a freelance composer (Anne Wu), Anne has worked with music legend John Altman and recently performed with Andy Summers from the Police. She has also composed music for film (Weinstein Films) and theatre projects. Anne enjoys teaching students to compose with a variety of director's briefs and resources. Young people who may never have written a note before, learn to express themselves through music and write their own songs using instruments as industry software. Anne is most inspired by a drive to develop empathy and shape value in young people through powerful experiences in the Performing Arts.
Anne is the founding director of ISTA's first Performing Arts Academy which was based in Shanghai. She is now the Director of Performing Arts at the Hong Kong Academy and is the Executive Director of ISTA's second permanent home.