ISTA Scene June 2010

scene
Creating worlds through theatre
www.ista.co.uk
THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS THEATRE ASSOCIATION 2009-10 JUNE ISSUE 4
In this Issue: One Festival: Many Faces
...and a little bit of Stargazing!

ISTA – A Who’s Who
Board of Trustees
David Lightbody – President
Independent Producer, UK (Based in the UK)
Dinos Aristidou
Development Officer for Education and Learning,
Arts Council South East
Freelance writer/director/consultant (Based in the UK)
Alex Clifton
Theatre Director
Senior Acting Teacher – RADA (Based in the UK)
Anthony Cunningham
High School Theatre Teacher at American School of the
Hague, The Netherlands
Susan Davenport
Development Consultant
Currently Interior Design Student (Based in the UK)
Ian Pike
Freelance Script Writer (Based in the UK)
Jen Tickle
Arts Coordinator at the International School of Azerbaijan
Honorary Life Members
Dinos Aristidou – UK
Doug Bishop – Taiwan
Ted Miltenberger – France
Mike Pasternak – Switzerland
Global Patrons
The American School of the Hague, The Netherlands;
Encore! Ensemble Theatre Workshop, USA;
International School of Azerbaijan;
International School of Geneva, La Chataigneraie, Switzerland;
International School of Geneva, LGB, Switzerland;
International School Hamburg, Germany;
International School of Luxembourg;
Marymount International School, London, UK;
Shanghai American School, Puxi Campus, China
St Julian’s School, Portugal;
Taipei American School International Thespian Society;
Yokohama International School, Japan
Teacher Sounding Board
Liane Campbell, Presbyterian Ladies College, Australia
Rachel Jackson, Chinese International School, Hong Kong
Daniel Sarstedt, Copenhagen International School, Denmark
Personnel
Sally Robertson – Chief Executive Officer
sallyr@ista.co.uk
Del Hayton – Operations Manager
delh@ista.co.uk
Jo Webb – Finance and Admin Manager
jow@ista.co.uk
Contributors
Zoe Weiner, host, St Julian’s School, Portugal
Rebecca Bell, artistic director, ISTA Staff, UK
Deniz Gormezano, visiting teacher, Enka Schools, Turkey
Monika Maria Mikolajska, visiting student, Dresden
International School, Germany
Hugo Onink, visiting student, International School of
Dusseldorf, Germany
Anna Zurliene, visiting student, International School of
Dusseldorf, Germany
McCall Moran, visiting student, Copenhagen International
School, Denmark
Rachel Townsend, visiting student, Copenhagen International
School, Denmark
Angela Harris, Primary School Principal, St Julian’s School,
Portugal
Fenella Kelly, ensemble leader, ISTA Staff, UK
Dorothy Whitelaw, member of the hosting team, St Julian’s
School, Portugal
Matthew Godfrey, ensemble leader, ISTA Staff, USA
Melanie Praag, housing coordinator, host family
Eleni Karatsoli, host school student, St Julian’s School, Portugal
Danielle Praag, host school student, St Julian’s School, Portugal
Matilde Wall, host school student, St Julian’s School, Portugal
Amelia Sedgwick, host school student, St Julian’s School,
Portugal
Charlotte Smithson, host school student, St Julian’s School,
Portugal
Alexia Machado Morcolino, host school student, St Julian’s
School , Portugal
Joana Fernandez, chaperone, St Julian’s School, Portugal
Editor: Sally Robertson
Artwork: Jo Doidge
Print: Headland Printers, Penzance
Front cover photo: A view from the
Discoveries Monument on the Tagus
River in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo taken
by Pete Benson.
Back page photos: taken from the
out and about at Lisbon Primary
School Festival
To submit material or comments for
future issues please email Sally Robertson on sallyr@ista.co.uk
© International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA) 2009-10
ISTA and its editors accept no liability for the views, opinions and
advice contained in this journal. The editors reserve the right to
edit any materials submitted for publication.
ISTA Contact Information
International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA)
Watchbell, Old Hill, Helston
TR13 8HT Cornwall, UK
Email: enquiries@ista.co.uk
Website: www.ista.co.uk
Telephone: + 44 (0) 1326 560 398

Editorial
2009-10 June Issue 4
When we participate in an ISTA Festival, whether as a host school, visiting teacher or student,
or as ISTA staff or even as a host family, we very much experience the event in that role. We may
be afforded fleeting glimpses into the other component parts through conversation and
observation, for sure. A host family may watch the final festival performance, the ISTA Rep may
have a dialogue with a host school administrator, a visiting teacher may have a conversation with
a host parent... But the very nature of an ISTA event dictates that we don’t ever get the full
picture, beforehand, during or afterwards.
So, when we were brainstorming future issues of Scene at a Board meeting several years ago we felt it would be a great idea
to bring those disparate voices together; to give you, the reader, a holistic view of what a festival is all about.
A Festival is about the synergy that is created from three days of intensive artistic work but it’s also about a huge amount of
logistical work from different parties. What I have loved about putting this issue together is the realisation that yes it’s collaborative,
yes it relies on lots of different people doing lots of different jobs. But the layers and links are manifold.
A teacher who hosts (as Zoe cites in her article), will see things differently as a visiting teacher when next attending an ISTA
event abroad. Young people who have hosted students from overseas will enjoy an entirely new perspective when it is their turn to
try on the guest’s shoes. A hosting family welcomes students into their home and discovers new cultures and friendships. The host
school team work tirelessly, are faced with continuous challenges and yet can sit back and reflect on the impact, not to mention
heightened status, an international arts event offers their school community and their children. And as we see from contributions
from ISTA staff, not only are individual journeys taken over the course of the three days; but each individual journey is part of a
longer-term journey that interweaves, doubles back on itself, poses new challenges and provides ongoing development that
enriches the artist.
Although I suspect there is little opportunity for students to grasp fully the other key roles played within the festival weekend, I
do know (increasingly as teachers tell me this!) that teachers often report a very different relationship with their students after
returning from a festival, given that both parties will have seen each other in a new light. Sharing an intensive creative experience
together is bound to shift the dynamic between teacher and student. A host, meanwhile, is undoubtedly far too busy to be able to
sit back and take on board the stories of the various participants as they unfold. And while some of the ISTA staff are also teachers
who bring young people to festivals, many are practitioners in other fields who won’t have had the occasion to “see” the festival
from a different angle. All these magical elements come together, and yet we rarely get to see ‘how’, exactly.
Here, then, is one festival from many perspectives. It is a first, I believe, in ISTA history: never before have we told such a story
in one volume. Every ISTA festival is a small representation of all that ISTA offers as an organization – a network of connections and
common interests, anchored by familiar and valuable relationships and energized by new encounters, that cohere in the
implementation of a thematic design with the mission to educate and empower young people and all those who work with them.
With each festival, then, ISTA is re-defined, re-charted and seemingly founded anew for (and by) its members and staff and
participating students.
And in the centre pages of this issue we take you on our global tour once again of the places we have visited this year. It’s hard
to think we take another step forward next year with even more Festivals and TaPS on offer.
Gratitude: As if hosting wasn’t enough, Zoe and her team embraced this issue of Scene and put in an enormous amount of
effort to rally contributors, not to mention the actual time writing. So a huge thank you to Zoe, Dot and Angela; to the host students
and families who agreed to be involved. Thanks to Michael Wainwright, Elaine Nielsen and Romeo Bryant (Dresden, Copenhagen
and Dusseldorf) for agreeing to monitor students as they prepared their contributions. Thanks to Matt, Fenella and Rebecca and
Rebecca who all (quite brilliantly and unrehearsed of course – actually it was...) chose very different angles from which to write as a
staff member. We have four very different ‘takes’ on staffing, all with wonderful insights that make for great reading.
Brass tacks: In the past couple of years we have, on occasion, had to limit numbers of students per school, or schools per
festival. So over the course of this last year we have carefully researched demand and places and increased our offerings
accordingly. So, 21 festivals next year and the back page lists dates, venues and starting points. If you haven’t yet book your spot
– do so as soon as you can.
We very much look forward to you joining us. Thanks to all of you – teachers, students, administrators, parents... for your
support this year and wishing those of you taking one, a gloriously long, relaxing and rejuvenating holiday.
Editor
sallyr@ista.co.uk
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4 | 1

VIVE
L’ENSEMBLE!
By Zoe Weiner, host
St Julian’s School, Portugal
Zoe Weiner is currently head of
Creative Arts at St Julian’s School,
Portugal and recent Mum. Before
coming to teaching she performed
around the world as part of a dance
company and as a freelance dancer.
She teaches in both the primary and
secondary school developing
curricula and projects that link dance,
drama, music and visual arts together.
Having attended several festivals (Middle and Primary) and
having been involved as part of the team when St Julian’s hosted
in the past, I had a good idea of what I wanted from our own
festival. As a teacher regularly involved with ISTA, you tend to pick
up on what works and what doesn’t and then, faced with the
challenge of hosting, you simply try to refine this information to fit
your own setting.
I’d fought hard for the festival, I knew how it could benefit our
whole school community: students, parents and teachers alike. Did
it fulfil my expectations? Did it turn out as I’d hoped? Yes and more
but it certainly wasn’t a walk in the park. I remember very clearly
reading in the ‘tips from previous hosts’ document where Jen
Tickle said, “Try to stay calm. Everyone knows you are frantically
busy and stressed and overloaded. What your visitors don't need
is a wild-eyed drama queen who moans at every given opportunity
about how little support s/he has had and what hard work it is - it
is easy to talk yourself into a negative spiral. Be professional, keep
smiling and you’ll find a lot of the stress just disappears. If things
go wrong, be open and honest, keep smiling and you’ll find you
get sympathy and help from all sorts of unexpected quarters.” This
was great advice that worked. I would also add, think big, think
positive and go for it!
So, this is my recollection as a host. I hope it informs and
inspires future hosts to take the plunge.
I had approached the Primary School Principal about hosting a
long time ago and in the meantime he was leaving and we had a
new Principal. New to headship but not to the school, the festival
was landed in Angela’s lap and she picked it up running and with a
smile. She gave me her full support from day one. Things weren’t
going to be easy though, as I was pregnant and due to give birth
in October and would still be on maternity leave when the festival
came around. She asked me to coordinate and I agreed, the
thought of being left out just never entered my head, it was not an
option. I also met with the Headmaster, David Smith, to secure
school support and funding. We’re so lucky to have such a
supportive management. With questions answered and very few
obstacles posed we were on our way. It was going to be a team
effort, as I’d always wanted it to be and, now more than ever, that
was the only way it was going to work.
Choosing a starting point was the easy part. We wanted
something that tied together a lot of previous work that had been
going on in the primary school over the last few years. In an
attempt to continue raising the profile of Drama we wanted to go
for a cross curricular theme. The year 5 teachers gave me a list of
all the topics for science, geography and history for the year. After
some discussion we went for a science topic, Space and Plants.
To add to the relevance of this, 2009 was the international year of
astronomy. In retrospect the festival highlighted what a great link
there is between this science topic and the Portuguese history of
discoveries.
Starting point chosen and some to’ing and fro’ing with Sally led
to the festival title, Stargazing – a close look at the planets. We
were off! The next thing to do was trawl through the host
handbook and make sure I had a list for everything that would
need doing up to and during the festival. I made a big display for
the staffroom notice board with information about ISTA, festivals
and our festival in particular. With it was a large sign up sheet with
all the jobs broken down into manageable chunks, with a
completion date, short description and space for e-mail and phone
contacts. It allowed the entire staff time to digest the enormity of
the task in hand, decide if and how much they could or wanted to
contribute and then find a job they were comfortable to sign up for.
I went in 2 days later thinking that everyone would have read it and
then clambered and shoved to be the first ones to sign up.
Obviously that was a little over optimistic but there were lots of
people who came to say ‘I’d love to help but I’m not very creative’
and ‘I can’t really do drama!’. I didn’t believe any of them for a
minute but the list allowed them to see that there would be a huge
variety of things to be done at different times and that on second
glance many of them were not scary tasks at all. I did also have
one or two people in mind for certain jobs and when I didn’t see
their names I just bullied them directly. I can’t honestly remember
anyone saying no but then I always made sure that my pregnant
belly was well in view and later on that baby was in my arms. After
all of that though the stage was set, we had teachers, assistants
and parents association all on board. With most of the jobs
allocated, ISTA was put to the back of our minds for the summer.
The start of a new school year in September, now it was time
to get things moving and I wanted to have as much in place as
possible before my baby arrived. Predictably he arrived 2 weeks
early and I didn’t want to do anything other than stare at him in
utter amazement for the next 2 months. I realized that the real
work would start after Christmas but before the term finished
however we had the festival logo competition, hotel reserved,
caterers chosen, website designed, cultural trip outlined. It was
about this time I had a real ‘Aha’ moment sitting with Sharon in the
computer room bouncing ideas around for the trip and then
latching on to the explorer idea and getting very excited about how
it could work. It was a creative moment that wouldn’t have
happened had we done it in isolation. Some St Julian’s students
signed up and some host families had committed, but not enough
students and not enough host families. Arrrghhhh! We adopted a
very simple strategy - put it to the back of our minds for Christmas
and tackle it in January. We asked all students attending from St
Julian’s to host and this made a difference to the take up. We felt it
was a very important part of the festival and that students needed
to buy into the whole experience. We were happy that 26 students
from year 5 and 6 eventually wanted to take part and their parents
supported this. The festival was also booked up very early on with
visiting schools but numbers dropped. So we ended up with 5
ensembles instead of 6. ISTA contacted local schools but no joy.
We settled with less. Was this due to economic reasons? Not
enough PR about the festival? Social factors, health and safety; or
simply bad luck?
Fact sheets were soon flying back and forth to ISTA and as I’m
writing this it seems as though the final weeks before the festival
were calm and easy going. On the one hand it was but on the
other everyone was working really hard. E-mails were flying all over
the place, the most I’ve ever written in my life, but it was vital to
keep everyone informed, updated and enthusiastic. Del and Sally in
the office were so supportive and always ready to help. I could list
all that was happening and who was involved but that would take
up the rest of the magazine. If I’m honest, my job list did seem to
get longer and longer and as grateful as I am to all those involved, I
underestimated how much I’d have to do. However, the values we
as teachers hope to instil in our students, and the philosophy that
ISTA stands by were crucial to me as I’d set out on this journey. I
always strive to practice what I preach, if it works for the kids then
it can jolly well work for us too. Vive l’ensemble!
Three weeks before the festival, everyone was at full speed and
there were certain crucial things that needed to be done before half
2 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

term, e.g. last minute visa letters, accounting, booking of buses
and payment of excursion venues. It was important to sit back
every once in a while and take a look at the big picture, to look at
the festival through the eyes of the students, that is after all what
the whole festival was about. I needed to keep asking myself if all
the right things were in place for them as well as the grown ups.
Host families. We didn’t have the take up and needed more
families and it was difficult to find them. Melanie and the Parents’
Association were fantastic and rallied the troupes but there’s no
denying it was tight. A school policy on hosting and sending more
detailed information to parents earlier would have helped and the
school has taken note of these for future events.
Space in the school… With the nature of our school, the size of
our buildings and the numbers of students, spare space is a rare
commodity. Trial exams taking place, an active extra-curricular
programme and bad weather were not going to make it easy. The
continuing education team was very helpful and some things were
cancelled, others moved, furniture rearranged and bingo! We were
sorted. Understanding, empathy and a willingness to help were
highlighted once again in our school community.
In the midst of all this I took time out to make sure child-care
was in place and there was enough breast milk in the freezer.
The week before the festival was characterized inevitably by
only those jobs that can be done at that time such as hosting
changes, programme printing, making signs, filling bags and
getting chaperones briefed. And those nagging and contradictory
thoughts that we were never going to be ready and ‘It’s going to
be brilliant’. I never wanted to write another e-mail in my life and
accepted that sleep would come after the festival.
In the end it all went very quickly. Six months of planning and
preparation and then four days that passed in the blink of an eye
but all the organization had paid off. It was great to meet up with
old faces and new. Getting excited when staff started planning,
hearing snippets as I scuttled past.
We all want good weather. Everything works better, people
smile more and little problems seem to dissolve in the sunlight.
Dusseldorf arrived. They were all going for a walk down to the
beach before the festival began. I said to make the most of the
nice weather as it wouldn’t last. One little boy smiled openly and
replied ‘You never know it might be nice’. That was just the
positive outlook that I needed. It didn’t matter if it rained after that,
he was absolutely right.
When the festival opened, registration complete, all schools
present, or almost (I wish we could have started with everyone
there at the beginning. It makes a real difference) and we were
welcoming everyone to St Julian’s. I almost cried when I spoke to
the group. I really meant it when I said ‘all that’s been missing is
you and now you’re here’. I was choked just to see them all
together, cases around the hall, slightly travel weary, excited,
scared, nervous, happy. It was that moment that made it all
worthwhile.
The cultural visit went off without a hitch, it rained and it didn’t
matter. The IB chaperones were fantastic. I realized it had been
meaningful to the students when ‘Paxo de Gama’ headed into
space in the final performance. A play on the famous 15th Century
discoverer Vasco de Gama. Some of the messages brought
forward by the children in their ensembles were truly insightful and
touching.
There were moments during the festival where I just sat back
and smiled. I wanted to see more of the children, talk to them
more and be swept away on the ISTA adventure with them but I
always knew what was coming next and there’s so much to do as
a host that you forego most of that. The Primary School
management team was amazing… on site, on hand and fully
involved as well as certain key members of staff who were always
present and always amazing, I can’t thank them enough.
And so we arrived at the final day, the closing performance and
tearful goodbyes. I’m always blown away by the intensity of an
ISTA festival in terms of relationships, learning experiences and
self-growth. Just as I thought it was all over and everything had run
incredibly smoothly a bus didn’t arrive. Note to future hosts;
double-check the bus bookings! I didn’t have a weekend number
to put me in direct contact with the driver. Poor schools waiting on
the pavement having been whisked out as the final performance
ended. I am eternally sorry to those schools and eternally grateful
for the amazing response from the parents who appeared as if by
magic in a convey of cars, bundled students and teachers into
back seats and got them to the airport in time. The moral of the
story… it ain’t over till the last bus has left the building.
I spent so much time making sure all was sorted, I frequently
forgot our own community. Next time round I would definitely send
more information earlier and have open meetings. This may have
happened more naturally if I’d been at school. Being on leave I
couldn’t really keep my finger on the pulse as it were.
I could go on and on, I want to tell you everything good and
bad but there’s not enough space and I may well put you to sleep.
I’ve got reams of lists and notes. I could tell you a story to go with
every single person who helped out. It’s a very different experience
as a host but I believe a very important and rewarding one. You
hopefully become a more appreciative, organized and less
demanding visitor.
AN AD’S
EXPERIENCE:
From receiving the starting point to
returning home
By Rebecca Bell: artistic director
ISTA Staff
Rebecca worked as a teacher and
manager in schools for twelve years
before becoming a Director of
Integrate Education. Rebecca is a
Drama in Education Specialist and
Consultant in Creative Teaching and
Learning. She is committed to
nurturing creative potential in both
teachers and young people, and is
involved in managing and delivering Continuing
Professional Development programmes for Local
Authorities and developing sustainable partnerships
between the creative sector and schools.
She is a Creative Agent and Practitioner working
extensively with Creative Partnerships, developing
radical creative learning projects with teachers and
children. As a consultant with the International Schools
Theatre Association, she delivers workshops and
teacher inset internationally. Rebecca has been
responsible for creating and managing the PAD Project
(Primary Arts Development), a sustained creative
teaching and learning project with 10 schools in
Cheshire. She has worked with all age groups and
abilities of children, exploring learning and creativity and
undertaking action research to this end. From Early
Years through to Post Graduate, Rebecca has found that
all human beings respond to the teaching and learning
styles of the arts. Rebecca is also an Associate Lecturer
in Drama in Education at Manchester Metropolitan
University and she is currently studying for her MA in
Creative and Critical Practices in Educational Settings at
Keele University.
How did you go about framing the stimulus for the first staff
meeting?
The Lisbon Primary Festival offered the starting point of SPACE.
As the Artistic Director (AD) I began by considering what this might
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4 | 3

mean for the young people... exploring new territory, crossing
boundaries, being adventurous and brave, and opening up new
worlds, new thinking, enabling creative journeys and returning
changed in some way. How exciting! And better still all these
possibilities would be supported by the cultural experience in
Lisbon: historically the gateway to exploration and discovery when
Portuguese explorers set sail nearly 600 years ago to venture into
the unknown.
As AD for the festival I asked myself: How can we ensure that
the young people make the most of the rich opportunities within
the theme of SPACE and recognise the strong links between the
creative journeys within an ISTA Festival and those of the
Portuguese explorers many years before. Also factoring in my
thinking were the needs of the primary aged children, many of
whom have not experienced the delights of ISTA before. My
previous experience working on primary festivals led me to reflect
that for many of the young people working as an ensemble and
recognising the inherent disciplines within the Art forms, is a
challenge within itself. I felt it important therefore, that these young
people engage positively with the ISTA ethos and are supported to
understand the ISTA code of conduct in practice and not just in
principle. Clear expectations would need to be negotiated and
disciplined approaches modelled so that we could all have serious
fun! Primary children are so open to play, but often need support in
realising ‘structured’ play; play with a clear purpose, the structured
play that Drama-in-Education processes offers.
I was also motivated by the prospect of these young people
staying in the ISTA family through the middle school festivals, high
school festivals and beyond. If we can inspire them now we will
keep them for the long haul! Just imagine how fabulous these
young people would be to work with when they are young adults
on the foundation of primary ISTA experiences.
Finally, I considered the teachers joining their pupils at the
festival. Many of these primary school teachers would not be
specialists in the Arts and so I asked myself: how can we make the
work of the artist accessible to a non-specialist, and model
approaches to teaching and learning that are applicable to the
creative needs of teachers and learners in the 21st century
curriculum?
With all these factors in mind it made sense to me to focus the
festival more on the process rather than the product, and to use a
Mantle of the Expert approach throughout the festival. Mantle of
the Expert was developed by Dorothy Heathcote (eminent
International Drama in Education Specialist) as an innovative
approach to teaching and learning across the curriculum. In a nut
shell Mantle of the Expert:
• frames the teaching and learning in an imaginary context,
involving an ENTERPRISE, a CLIENT and a PROBLEM to solve
• requires the teacher to assume a FICTIONAL ROLE (or roles),
which places the pupils as EXPERTS in a particular branch of
knowledge such as Accident Investigators, Detectives,
Anthropologist… Explorers of Space (in our case)
• creates a CREATIVE context for learning using DRAMATIC
METAPHOR
In the first planning meeting with the staff I brought my ‘artistic
offer’ to the table, but it was not without reservations. ISTA as an
organisation values diversity, and as an AD I am acutely aware of
the riches that the staff bring to the festivals from their own
disciplines, worlds of work and bountiful experiences. It is
important that the AD enables the artist to flourish and stretch their
own practice. I worried therefore, that by proposing a Mantle of the
Expert structure to the festival that they may feel that their own
creative input was not being acknowledged, and that I was
dictating a structure that they were not comfortable with. As a
teacher, artist and AD I aim to work hard to develop a collegiate
approach within a creative learning process; aiming to enable coconstruction
of the learning and co-authorship of the forms in
which we learn. Would my idea seem like an imposition to the
team? I felt only too aware that people do not reject their own
ideas only those imposed upon them! I would suggest that this is
the tension that all AD’s face: enabling ownership of the process
for all involved, while ensuring cohesion and meaningful outcomes.
I did, therefore, pitch my idea for the mantle on the basis that it
was open to discussion, rejection or adaptation. I presented my
rational for approaching the festival using a mantle, explaining the
riches of using this imaginary drama context as a ‘liberating’
structure within which we could all work and still explore our own
curiosities about space, exploration and discoveries. The team
embraced the challenge and so our creative journey together
began!
Can you provide an overview of the artistic process?
I arrived at the festival with a basic frame in my mind for the
mantle. I had planned how the stages in the development of the
mantle, the commission from the client, the inevitable dilemma and
the resolution, could all fit into the festival timetable. I had also
considered how the cultural experience might be developed as an
integral part of this context and not feel like an arbitrary ‘bolt on’.
As a staff team we took this basic mantle and co-authored the
frame for the festival experience.
The I.S.T.A (Inter Stella Training Academy) Mantle (in short!):
EXPERT ROLE for the pupils:
Space Explorers ‘ISTA-nauts’ (at least, almost expert Space
Explorers, in the final stages of their training at the I.S.T.A (Inter
Stella Training Academy) Head Quarters.
STAFF ROLE:
Training Officers of the I.S.T.A Zodiac residential training
programme and leaders of the Zodiac Squadrons: Libra, Leo,
Pisces, and Taurus etc.
AD ROLE:
President of the I.S.T.A Programme (representing the CLIENT in
the mantle by setting the training task to the ISTA-nauts,
monitoring outcomes and setting challenges)
CONTEXT:
The pupils are framed in role as ISTA-naut cadets arriving at the
Zodiac residential programme for the final stage of their 4-year
training to become a fully qualified expert Space Explorer. They
must successfully complete the rigorous training programme and
meet the challenges presented to them. Each squadron will be
sent on a mission (unique to their squadron) and must present the
outcomes of this mission in order to graduate.
DILEMMA:
To upgrade the responses from the pupils, to challenge their
thinking and creative processes the mission will inevitably not run
smoothly! Problems will be encountered and the staff (Training
Officers) will be sure to ‘drop in’ the problems along the way!
THE CULTURAL EXPERIENCE:
Based on the theme of SPACE and the cultural experience
designed by the host, Zoe Weiner could be positioned perfectly
within the mantle as a training exercise. The way in which Zoe had
introduced the excursion in the festival programme was a ‘happy
accident’; her language and imaginary frame directly supported our
mantle:
“You will be transported to the historical area of Belem and
your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to log important
data, sample local delicacies, gather photographic evidence of
your journey and take a quick trip into outer space before reporting
back to base.”
CLOSURE OF THE MANTLE:
The residential training programme will culminate in a final
presentation to the President and a large group of International
Experts (host parents!) who will decide if you graduate or not.
What were the outcomes of approaching the festival in this
way?
Clearly the outcomes I am sharing are those I perceived
through my lens as the AD. I am confident that I will have missed
outcomes (good and bad) and that the experience will have felt
and appeared different through the lenses of the staff, young
people and teachers. So here goes, the outcomes through my
lens:
• The transformation in the pupils’ engagement once we framed
them in-role was significant. For example some boys who we
were struggling to connect with in the opening group session,
4 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

ecame immersed in the imaginary world of the drama,
focused and fully engaged.
• In role the pupils elevated their language register and their
behaviour.
• The pupils were so much more accepting of the ensemble
approach in-role and ready to respond to instructions and
guidance when it was framed as the rules of the training
academy and the instructions of the training officer e.g.
President Bell “Repeat after me cadets... chewing gum is a sin
[chewing gum is a sin], put your gum in the bin [put your gum
in the bin], if you don’t I’ll have to say [if you don’t I’ll have to
say], you won’t graduate, you’ll be on your way [you won’t
graduate, you’ll be on your way.] This approach made the
management of pupil behaviour easier and gave a structure to
full group sessions that the primary aged learners responded
positively to.
• The staff we able to author their own mission for their squadron
(ensemble) and so they could bring to the process their
exercises, art forms and creative explorations they had planned
to develop with the pupils prior to my ‘offer’ of the mantle.
• Staff who could not find ways of linking certain processes or
exercises into the mantle frame did not. This worked well, as
those of us who know mantle and understand its pedagogic
processes, know that ‘shoe horning’ an area of learning into
the mantle is not wise, it only compromises the imaginary world
of the mantle.
• By engaging all the pupils in the mantle frame, they shared a
common experience throughout the festival, this appeared to
bring them together quickly and very much supported a
cohesive approach to all our work.
• Making explicit to the pupils when we were in-role and when
we were out of role, supported their learning, enabling them to
reflect from different view points. This also supported them into
role and made the distinction between real and unreal clear.
Although it did not stop some pupils maintaining their role
throughout lunch and break; I would often be greeted in the
dining hall with “President Bell” followed by the ISTA-naut
salute and statement “deep thinking and process linking”!
• The theatre tools used to deepen the pupils commitment to the
mantle had a significant impact on the pupils level of
engagement and enjoyment, for example:
• Teacher in Role (Staff dressed in basic costumes, wearing
‘offical’ Training Officer name badges and shifting their
language registers).
• Rituals – for example, the ISTA-naut salute and the I.S.T.A
oath, role call and the fabulous ‘CODE RED’ evacuation drill.
Code red was loved by the pupils – this was helped by the
wonderful technical support from the host school: dry ice, a
siren blaring across the campus, and red lights flashing
called all the ISTA-nauts from their squadron training rooms
to the main hall where upon they executed the space station
evacuation procedure. What fun and a great way of ensuring
they all arrived for full group on time!
• Props – pupils were presented with objects and artefacts,
mission instructions in sealed envelopes marked ‘TOP
SECRET’, radio communications signalling mission dilemmas
etc, etc – all these proved to stimulate creative responses,
deepen the engagement of the pupils and captivate their
interest.
• Music & Sound Effects – used to create appropriate
atmospheres within the imaginary worlds of the mantle (outer
space, new planets, new cultures, tensions etc).
• Drama games and exercise – full group and ensemble,
were framed as training exercises for the ISTA-naut cadets –
we were still able to make explicit to the learners what skills
they were developing e.g. focus, physical control and the
learners readily accepted the metaphor.
I am sure there are more reflections that are spinning in my
head that I have yet to make sense of, but my overwhelming
reflection was that the young people had a wonderful time, the
staff enjoyed playing together and we all graduated with honours
from the I.S.T.A Zodiac Residential training Programme, carrying in
our hearts and minds the I.S.T.A oath:
As a fully qualified ISTA-naut I promise to commit myself to a
life long journey of DEEP THINKING and PROCESS LINKING. I
promise to respect the cultures of new worlds, and embrace our
differences, in pursuit of a sustainable future.
A HOLISTIC
EXPERIENCE
By Deniz Gormezano, visiting teacher
Enka Schools, Turkey
I was born in 1973 in Istanbul. I
graduated from Bosphorus University
in English Language and Literature
and have been working as an English
teacher for 10 years at Enka Schools
in Istanbul, Turkey. I am mainly
interested in raising my students’
cultural awareness and helping them
to appreciate differences, promoting
intercultural exchange between other schools in the
world.
As Enka Schools/Turkey, we have been participating in ISTA
festivals for three years now. For the past two years we have been
offering this opportunity to our Drama Club kids but this year we
opened it up to all our 5th grades and had around 10 participants.
Since I have been in charge of organizing the trip for 3 years
now, I can say that I have gained a lot of experience. The planning
stage between ISTA and our school usually runs very smoothly.
The ISTA staff is very supportive in every stage of the planning
providing us with relevant information and collating documents
needed for visa procedures. The teacher packs that are sent out
prior to our visit were especially very informative. However, our
main difficulties arise from our communication with the parents. We
usually hold a meeting with the parents of our participants prior to
our trip, giving them detailed information about the travel,
accommodation, including a powerpoint presentation of last years’
trip. Up to now, the major concern of our parents seems to be the
accommodation. Due to their overly protective nature, some
parents seem to be hesitant in letting their kids stay with families
and think that they are too young for such an experience. We even
have parents requesting to have their kids stay with teachers in the
hotels. However this seems to be getting better every year. After
several explanations reminding them of the underlying philosophy
of ISTA, they are becoming more at ease with the whole
experience.
This year I had the opportunity to attend the festival at St.
Julian’s School. I had never been to Portugal before so it was an
interesting experience for me. When we arrived in Lisbon, with a
group of 10 kids, we were greeted by a lovely chaperone from the
school who helped us out with the travel arrangements to the
school. We arrived at school at around noon, welcomed by many
friendly smiles from the ISTA staff and school teachers. Soon after
the workshops started and the students had the opportunity to
engage in ensembles and workshops relating to drama. It was
great that we as teachers were able to observe our students
during these events. There were also a couple of workshops given
to the teachers by ISTA staff that I found very interesting. One of
them that I found particularly useful was about the learning process
behind the ISTA experience where we learned about the practice in
drama called ”Mantel of the Expert”. The workshop about “Going
on A Bear Hunt” was also very enjoyable. On the last day we had a
sharing time where all the teachers shared their favourite activities
with each other.
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4 | 5

Now that the festival is over I can say that this experience has
helped me in many ways. I was able to establish more close
contact with my students and got to know them better by
observing them in the workshops. I was able to meet new people
in a wonderful city. As for my students, they were able to make
new friends, increase heir cultural awareness and learn many
things about drama. I hope to participate in festivals in the future
and plan on hosting one in my school. I would like to thank all the
ISTA staff for their support and dedication to making this a very
valuable experience for us and our students.
A COOL
ADVENTURE
By Monika Maria Mikolajska, visiting student
Dresden International School, Germany
Monika Maria Mikolajska will turn 11
years old on May 12th. She is Polish
and was born in Poznan, one of the
oldest cities in Poland. She lived
there for five years. When Monika
was five, her parents decided to
move to the Netherlands where she
would continue her education at the
American International School of
Rotterdam. After two years she moved to Dresden
where she till now continues her education at Dresden
International School.
Diary Entries:
All the teachers were very nice. I did a workshop with Mr. Dinos
and he never stopped smiling. He was very nice.
We arrived in Lisbon at about 4.00 pm on the Thursday. All the
school groups gathered in St. Julian’s main hall. We were
introduced to the principal and teachers. After that President Bell
told us we would be in a training academy for the next few days.
We met our training officers. My training officer was Mr. Benson.
We went to our training facilities and learned some commands. We
learned each others’ names and got to know each other.
The next day we had a field trip around Lisbon. We went to a
pastry shop, the Planetarium, a monastery and the Discoveries
Monument. They were all cool. When we came back to school we
went back into our ensemble groups. Our group got a recording of
Paxo Dagama’s last trip to Mars (Paxo was a chicken). We were
supposed to create a play about it and figure out why he went to
Mars. But that day we only brainstormed.
On Saturday we had workshops. I had “Be a Playwright” and
“The Actor, the Audience and the Space in Between”. My first
workshop was a bit boring because it was only clap stomp and
snap activities. Be a playwright was really cool and funny. We got a
beginning and an end of a story and you were supposed to create
the middle section. Our group had a completely crazy story about
a boy. That day in our ensemble groups we finalized our play.
The last day was performance day. We had one last ensemble
and performed our play. I think people liked it. After that we got a
certificate and a form to fill out about how we liked the festival.
Then our school left for the airport.
What I learned about theatre is that in plays you should show
things that are not specifically needed just for it to be more
interesting.
Reflective Comments:
I would like to go on another ISTA festival because it is a cool
adventure in which you get to learn about a new culture. It’s much
better than a school field trip! I found it hard to work with people
from different schools because they all had different perspectives
and ideas. I learned that I have to respect others’ ideas and
cultures. My weekend in Lisbon was great, I learned a lot about the
city, people and culture.
REAL
EXPLORERS
By Hugo Onink, visiting student
International School of Dusseldorf, Germany
I’m Hugo Onink, eleven years old, and
I’m Dutch. I’ve lived in Warren, Ohio,
America for three years. I’ve lived in
Düsseldorf for over four years and
I’ve been at ISD all that time. I enjoy
being outdoors go-carting or playing
with friends. Some sports I enjoy
doing are tennis and baseball. I have
an older brother who is 14 and is
called Victor. My parents are also both Dutch. The whole
family enjoys sailing and we have our own boat for use
at the weekends.
I was one of the participants of the primary ISTA festival. But I’ll
first quickly talk about why I wanted to join ISTA. I’m in sixth grade
and I was one of the lucky ones to still be 11 so that I could come
to the primary ISTA. I only started to really do theatre this year but I
really enjoy it. I like acting, I’ve been stage crew for a school play of
Oliver Twist, and I also enjoy doing the lights.
Thursday 4th of March
After a tiring journey from Düsseldorf, Germany we were
welcomed by a student from the school, because we were the first
ones we could still look around the school and go to the beach.
When the programme started it was around 4:00pm and every one
of the ISTA organization was introduced. We played some games
and we all enjoyed ourselves. Then we had dinner, that was really
good and I met my first friend there. When the programme started
again everyone was put into groups of around 20 people then at
8:00pm the host families came to pick us up. They were really nice
and also generous to share their house with us. Even with 3 kids of
their own and two dogs there was still enough room for three other
kids all from different schools.
Friday 5th of March
It was a rainy day but as real explorers that didn’t stop us. At
8:30am everyone was there and everyone got a map, a timetable
and an information pack. We were brought to a park in Belém by
bus and we had to explore some places such as the discoveries
monument or monastery of Jerónimos and the yummiest of all the
Pastéis de Belém. At 2:00pm all the groups met at the
planetarium. Back at school we all went to our ensembles. Time
for dinner. After the dinner there was a spectacular performance
called the Twelve Wild Ducks. The hosts came to pick us up and it
was great to have a nice warm shower after this awesome but wet
day.
Saturday 6th of March
They said it would be raining all day but it was fantastic
weather all day long. Today we had our ensembles first. After a
small break of half an hour we had workshops, I had stage fighting
which was really fun but much harder and more planned than that I
had expected. After lunch we had our second workshop and for
me that was being a playwright which was really fun after all. This
time we left earlier than most times because we would be eating
dinner with our host families. We had some hotdogs and burgers
from the grill, and it was great to all eat together.
Sunday 7th of March
It was 9:00am and our last day to get the preparations for the
final performance. After the ensemble we were going to present a
small play based on what we have been doing in the ensembles.
6 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

Time to present our final outcome. My group was 4th up but we
had confidence in it, and that confidence is what made our play a
success. After the performances we went to our ensembles for the
last time.
Over all I think that this festival was one huge success and it
was worth going to. So if I were you I would get over there and see
if there is room for you for next year.
MY ISTA
JOURNAL
By Anna Zurliene, visiting student
International School of Dusseldorf, Germany
Hello, my name is Anna and I went to
ISTA in Portugal. I am 11 years old
and I go to the International School of
Dusseldorf, Germany. I moved to
Germany in August 2009 with my
parents, brother and two dogs named
Dixie and Sparky. When I arrived,
there was a resident turtle named
Amanda. I recently received two more
turtles named Crackers (my brother’s) and Tortellini.
Every summer I go to a camp called Masulla Childrens
Theatre in America. You audition by saying the lines that
the director says to you with the emotion as well. On the
same day that you're at camp, they give you your part. It
lasts for a week and then you have two performances.
This summer I’m visiting America and the play will be
Alice in Wonderland.
On Thursday the 4th, I arrived with 5 other kids from my school
in Lisbon, Portugal. At the beginning of ISTA we had the whole
group welcome which was really fun and welcoming because we
had time to meet new people. Then the directors came out and
introduced themselves. They said that they were going to “step”
into another person’s shoes. The theme was space this year and
they dressed up and acted like space commanders. We clarified
the rules and then we introduced some movements. We had
dinner and went home with the host family.
On Friday we went outside of the school campus to explore a
bit and we had a worksheet that we wrote down information on.
We went to the Monastery of Jeronimos, the Monument of the
Discoveries, Pateis de Belem (a bakery) and then to the
Planetarium. After that we had the full group activities again.
Ensembles came afterwards. At that ensemble we learnt our group
members’ names by playing a game. We also walked around and
tried to imagine what might be on another planet and what we
would do about those things. We then made freeze frames of
possible dilemma’s we could have in space or on another planet.
After dinner we saw a play called 12 Wild Ducks.
On Saturday we had full group in the morning to get ourselves
woken up I’m guessing and then ensembles. That day we thought
about what kind of super power we would have if we were in
space and what aspect of the future you could see but both you
could only use once. Then we had our first workshop. I chose slow
motion and learned how to move in different ways like running and
falling. After lunch we had our second workshop, mine was planet
scopes. In a group we had to think of what features another made
up planet might have and then draw it. We had ensembles and
then went home with our host family early to have a fun night.
On Sunday there was once again full group and then the final
preparation for the performance in our ensemble groups. Our
ensemble group did a bunch of freeze frames about our journey to
“planet Leo” and how it turned out to be the mirror image of Earth.
The performance went very well and then afterwards we reflected
on what we did in the ensemble groups.
Sometimes during the ensemble groups I didn’t completely
understand what to do. I had trouble getting to the point of the
assignment we were supposed to do. In the end I asked and
found out what to do. I really enjoyed the “code red” evacuation
sequence and preparation. It was fun to pretend to put on a space
suit. I really liked making and painting my own planet as well as
making up super powers and dilemmas to face during flying the
spaceship in ensembles. I learned that when you are acting, you
shouldn’t care about what other people think about you as long as
you’re doing your best and doing what you think is right. You
should focus on yourself while acting not on other people. I really
enjoyed the ISTA staff because they were nice, funny and cared
about your feelings and what you had to say. I would love to go to
another ISTA festival because it’s nice to meet new people and
learn new drama and theatre skills.
FINDING A
DIFFERENT
PERSON
INSIDE OF YOU
By McCall Moran, visiting student
Copenhagen International School, Denmark
My name is McCall Moran. I am from
the United States. Right now I live in
Copenhagen, Denmark.
I am 10 years old. My hobbies are
to do drama, Irish dancing and
reading. I am in 4th grade. I go to a
school called Copenhagen
International School.
ISTA was such a great experience. In ISTA we did so many fun
activities. Each day we would always do things with our ensemble
groups. We do fun activities like, games, learning how to act and
dance. My ensemble leader was officer Godfrey.
On Saturday we did our workshops, we got assigned to do 2
workshops. The 2 workshops that I did was red nose clown and
be a playwright. I thought those 2 workshops were lots of fun.
My host family’s culture and city was very unique. Lisbon is
famous for its monuments such as, monument of discoveries, the
churches, palaces, museums and their bakeries. Lisbon is such a
pretty city filled with culture. The historical sights are very unique to
the country.
The tasks that I found hard were doing the training academy
movements. The skills that I learnt were how to become a new
person and learning from my workshops like becoming a clown
and how to write a play.
I thought the ISTA staff were excellent. I thought they were
excellent because they taught you how to become an actor and
how to find a different person inside of you. They also taught you
how to become someone new.
On Friday I liked going sightseeing because I learned a lot
about the culture. I also liked doing activities with my ensemble
group. We did so many fun activities that I loved doing everything.
I learned a lot about drama and theatre. I learnt how to do
many things while you’re acting. My workshops taught me how to
use acting in everyday life.
I thought working with other kids from other schools was really
fun. We got to learn how to work with other people that you don’t
know. Everybody there was really nice and I met some good
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4 | 7

friends. Making the play in my ensemble group was fun because
you got to act with people you have just met.
I would do another ISTA festival because they are great. They
teach you so many things and it is such a great journey and
experience.
Here is a quote to sum up my weekend in Portugal
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
Carl Sagen
STARGAZING…
By Rachel Townsend, visiting student
Copenhagen International School, Denmark
My name is Rachel Townsend. I am
10 years old. I am from New York in
the United States of America. For the
past four years I have lived in
Denmark. I am in 4th grade at
Copenhagen International School. My
favourite things do are to swim, act,
read and sing.
ISTA was a great journey. I really enjoyed the interaction with
other kids from the 6 international schools that participated in the
festival. In ISTA, I learned how to build shapes with rope,
consideration of the audience and how to be a “Neptunian”.
Each day we spent time with our ensemble groups working on
theatre drills and played games as cooperative teams. My
ensemble leader was Officer Godfrey. He was very funny and knew
a lot about theatre.
I thought that mastering all of the drills was really hard but in
the end it was worth the effort. The hardest drill was creating a
spaceship with ten people. I think that the drills we learned were
fun because they got the group moving and trying to work
together.
In ISTA I learned how to be a different person and I learned
how to use my acting skills in everyday life. For example, you can
use acting to make a game more fun or help pass time. Changing
your facial expression, your walk or the way you speak can
instantly turn you into a different person.
I participated in two workshops: Planet Scapes where we
painted a scene of “Planet Sophia” and in Drum Mania we learned
two different melodies and had a chance to perform a solo piece.
Both workshops were a good opportunity to work with kids from
other schools.
Overall, I improved my acting skills and understanding of the
many components of drama and theatre. My confidence in acting
increased and I learned how to be more engaging with the
audience.
Since the ISTA theme was “Star Gazing”, we went to the
planetarium to learn more about outer space. We learned about
the Hubbell telescope and how a star is born and how they die out
too.
On Friday we went sightseeing. The city tour taught me a lot
about the culture in Portugal. The culture of Lisbon is old and full
of traditions. A very important event in Lisbon history was the
earthquake of 1755 where 85% of all the buildings were destroyed.
Ultimately, most of the buildings were rebuilt to resemble what had
been lost but with better building materials.
In Lisbon there are many historical sights. We went to the
Monument of Discoveries - which shows important explorers that
travelled the world finding treasures, like spices, that they brought
back to Portugal. We also saw a church, a palace and we had a
traditional Portuguese pastry with custard called Pasteis de Nata.
My host family was very kind and welcoming. They made a
real effort to make us feel at home. Going out for a sushi dinner
was a special part of my weekend in Portugal.
I would definitely like to go to another ISTA festival. The ISTA
staff was friendly and well prepared for our visit. It was easy to
meet people and I left with new friends that I will remember.
Below is my quote that sums up an amazing experience at the
festival:
“Star Gazing at the ISTA festival... How a Star is Born on stage
and outer space”
THE
ADVENTURE OF
HOSTING AN
ISTA FESTIVAL
By Angela Harris, Primary School Principal
St Julian’s School, Portugal
Angela Harris is the Primary School
Principal of St Julian’s in Portugal.
She grew up in Sale, Cheshire in the
UK. She attended Hope University
where she graduated with a BA
(Hons) in Psychology and Sociology.
After completing a PGCE she worked
in Schools in Liverpool before
spreading her wings and landing at St
Julian’s. Angela has worked as a teacher and manager
for 19 years in education. She has now made Portugal
her home where she lives with her partner and two
children.
I must begin by saying that the whole ISTA experience, from
start to finish, was an adventure for both the children and the staff.
The decision to host this year’s Primary Festival was taken
before I took on the role as head and up to that point I had had no
prior experience of ISTA, as an organization or of participating in a
related festival. We had a very efficient Coordinator in Mrs. Zoe
Weiner and strong support from a Year 5 teacher, Ms. Dot
Whitelaw, who had both played active parts in the past. It was on
them that the initial organization had to rely. A general plea was
made to all members of staff, asking them to volunteer their time in
any way. The initial response was very positive with some staff
taking on major roles in the organization. The success of festivals
and similar events relies not only on good organization and
leadership but also a team of “doers”, the more willing hands the
less the individual burden and we were well blessed. To be honest
my involvement at this early stage was minimal, purely as monitor
and facilitator.
As a school we are fortunate to be able to draw on our own as
well as the Secondary School facilities so we had enough facility
and hall space available. All the children could be accommodated
in one area and still have space for workshops and ensembles.
This is a major consideration because even with our facilities,
allocating rooms during the wet, working school days became a
challenge.
My initial expectations of the festival were, in hindsight, quite
conservative. Yes, I wanted our children to have a valuable and
exciting learning experience. I also wanted them to have the
opportunity to work alongside children and adults from other
schools around the globe and to be open and non-judgmental in
developing friendships. What I didn’t truly anticipate was the
commitment and dedication of our own parents who acted as
hosts and the bringing together of everyone as one big family. This
feeling is still evident long after the event has passed and stays
with me and the staff.
8 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

Despite the preparation that was done prior to the event, there
was still a considerable amount to do during the weekend itself.
For that reason we needed to have a team of available staff to
organize snacks, lunches, last minute resources and photocopying.
Personally, I was glad that I had made special arrangements for my
family so was available to participate and help throughout the
weekend. I was able to build up relationships with both the visiting
professionals and with our own children, who I could see in a
different setting. They too enjoyed being able to interact with us in
a less classroom-based environment. Being a part of the whole
experience heightened my enjoyment and meant that I could fully
appreciate the significance of the final performance as a
culmination of all the hard work and commitment that I had
witnessed. When the last bus was waved away there was a
feeling of sadness and yet such a sense of achievement by all of
us who had had the privilege to be involved.
The Monday following the ISTA festival weekend was an INSET
day for us. We had booked two AiR (Artists in Residence) for
drama workshops in both the Primary and the Secondary School.
In the Primary School Rebecca Bell took us all on a journey
through drama in a cross curricular classroom, something which
was very relevant to us as we are anticipating the changes ahead.
The day was inspirational and was a refreshing opportunity for all
the staff to get together in a relaxed, stimulating way.
You asked for a gem or a quote to finish off!
“When I initially started on the ISTA journey I had to ask what
the abbreviations stood for. Looking back now on the whole
experience I think Inspirational, Stimulating, Thought Provoking and
Amazing! would be more appropriate.”
MOULDING OUR
HANDS TO FIT
THE GLOVES:
An account of an ISTA staff member’s
learning on the job
By Fenella Kelly
ISTA Staff
Fenella Kelly is a Drama teacher that
works in MS and HS and also teaches
IB Theatre. She is an IB Theatre
examiner and trainer. During her
career she has taught in Turkey,
Brazil, Greece and Egypt. To stay out
of trouble she regularly dances salsa
and tango. Quite recently she
returned from India where she was
learning Kathakali dance theatre and Chenda drumming,
intensively. Currently Fenella is doing a full-time MA in
Drama and Theatre in Education at Warwick University.
As an ISTA staff member you are on a glorious never-ending
journey of professional and self development. There are times when
you think you have learnt ‘most of it’, then you attend an event with
a number of experienced theatre practitioners, work together for
three days, and suddenly you are humbled and inspired at the
same time, as you are reminded again that learning in a theatre
context never ends. So, if this is like being in an eternal education
system, why do we all keep coming back, and asking for more?
The reason I keep coming back to ISTA festivals, as a staff
member, is because even though I bring my ideas and expertise, I
know I will be working with a group of professionals that have
magnanimity and, as a group we have rapport. For definitions of
these words I turn to Michael Boyd, artistic director of the RSC, in
his article that appeared in ‘The Stage’, in April 2009, about
‘Building Relationships’.
Magnanimity: the courage to give away ideas and love, with
no thought of transaction or an exchange in return.
Rapport: the magic language between individuals in tune with
each other.’ (Boyd, 2009)
For the participants at an event it may appear that planning
between the ISTA staff team has been going on for months, has
been well rehearsed and the slick ‘final product’ is what is deliver
at the festivals. In truth, the work at a festival is a result of the
magical meeting of minds, energies and the magnanimity the ISTA
staff brings to the initial meeting and continues to give throughout
the festival. Like-minded people arrive at an event, bring their
personalities, experience and ideas, work effortlessly with people
they only met a matter of hours before, and experience a safe and
supportive rapport, that breathes new life and energy, as it finds its
own direction. During any event there is the chance for everyone to
grow, experiment, develop and learn.
Teachers may be surprised to learn that as an ensemble leader
and teacher workshop leader I always suffer from stage fright
before the event begins. It is not that I am unprepared, if anything I
am over prepared, and am re-working the content of my ensemble
until the moment it begins! I am always wondering if I am giving
enough, covering enough material or pitching it right for the
participants. But, as soon as the journey begins, and the rapport is
established, nothing stops the progression of the work as it takes
on a life of its own.
To illustrate my own ISTA journey as a staff member, as I
donned various hats, and faced and embraced a multitude of
challenges, I will refer to two contrasting experiences: as an AiR
(Artist in Residence) in Vienna and as an ensemble leader at the
Primary Festival in Lisbon.
Working as an AiR in Vienna
The preparation phase
Before going to Vienna I knew that I would be working with
their IB teacher to give her a clearer picture of the IB Theatre
course, focusing on the assessment tasks and possible ideas for
curricular content. The challenge at this phase was to select what I
could cover in the limited contact time we would have over the two
days (Normally for Level 1 and Level 2 training I have 14-16 hours
of contact time, spread over 3 days. In Vienna I would have 2
school days, and in that time also teach 3 hours of Kathakali with
the IB Theatre students!).
As an AiR I wanted obviously to cover as much as possible in
the time we had, but also ensure that everything was going to be
of use. As I knew little about what the teacher had already
covered, I had to go prepared for anything. Having had some prior
contact about what areas we would focus on, I did have the
opportunity to gather materials from my own teaching that may be
of use for the teacher and her own students. As part of my brief
was to deliver two Kathakali workshops with all the IB Theatre
students (having just completed intensive training in Kerala, India) I
was excited, yet apprehensive about delivering workshops on the
subject, as it was still such a new addition to my theatrical
repertoire.
Therefore, armed with far too many books, handouts, DVDs,
photos, CDs and IB training materials, I headed off, rather
nervously to Vienna, to hopefully deliver everything that was
expected of me, as an ISTA staff member and IB trainer.
Learning on the job
While in Vienna I leant probably as much as the IB Theatre
teacher and her students, as I moulded, adapted, and adjusted my
plans to meet their needs and desires.
Key learning moments were:
• Spontaneously analyzing the teacher’s current work and how to
make links with the assessment tasks of the IB Theatre course
• Adapting the Kathakali work to match the physical abilities or
limitations of the students, to enable everyone to participate
and succeed
• The realisation that students do rise to physical challenges and
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4 | 9

Diversity and collaboration, celebration and play, friendship and collegiality
Our 2009-2010 Journey...
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FESTIVALS
1. 1 Berlin – October 1-4 2009 – The Wall: 20 years after the fall.
2. 2 London (TASIS) – January 28-31 2010 – “Masks to behold the swelling scene”: an audience’s perspective.
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3. 3 Beijing – January 29-31 2010 – Temples and highways: an actor’s impulse.
4. 4 London (ACS) – February 18-21 2010 –
Masks: traditions and practice (a workshop model festival).
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5. 5 Dubai – March 11-13 2010 –
The falcon, the horse and the camel; physical theatre and puppetry.
6. 6 Terezin – April 16-18 2010 – “Draw what you see”: the stories of Terezin.
7. 7 Luxembourg – April 22-25 2010 – Mining the past: memories, museums and modern art.
8. 8 Gstaad – September 25-27 2009 – Ceremony, song and celebration: tales from folklore and folk music.
9. 9 Dresden – October 8-11 2009 – ‘Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes’: play in performance.
10. Kuala Lumpur – January 22-24 2010 – The void between the walls: the power of the Petronas Towers.
11. Istanbul – March 18-21 2010 – The crossing: moments on ferryboats and views from a bridge.
12. Perth – March 19-21 2010 – Stories from the water’s edge: indigenous tales.
13. Zurich – May 6-9 2010 – Alone on a mountain: Heidi and Alm Öhi.
14. Cornwall – May 13-15 2010 – Playhouses in greenhouses: ISTA at Eden.
15. Portugal – March 4-7 2010 – Stargazing: a close look at the planets.
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TaPS
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1. 1 New York (students) – October 1-3 2009
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2. 2 London (1) (students and teachers) – October 8-10 2009
3. 3 London (2) (students and teachers) – October 12-14 2009
4. 4 New York (teachers) – October 15-17 2009 (in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History).
5. 5 San Diego (teachers) – October 15-17 2009 (in collaboration with CAWS – California Association of World Schools).
6. 6 Cardiff (students and teachers) – October 22-24 2009 (in collaboration with Sherman-Cymru).
7. 7 Bali (students and teachers) – October 29-November 1 2009.
8. 8 Adelaide (teachers) – March 12-14 2010 (in collaboration with Glenunga International High School).
9. 9 Texas (teachers) – March 5-7 2010 (in collaboration with Rice University).
10. Brazil (teachers) – March 12-14 2010 (in collaboration with Graded School).
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4 | 11

thrived on the challenge to keep up with the footwork, mudras
and eye movements
• Realising that at an event where I am teaching a Theatre
Tradition, I need to be armed with all the resources and
bibliography that may be of use to the students and teacher. At
this event, the students were very inspired by the Indian
practices I introduced them to, and went away with RI topics
and PPP ideas in mind.
Working as an ensemble leader at a Primary Festival
The preparation phase
Before going to St. Julian’s school for the Primary Festival, we
were informed very early about the theme, being sent web links
and examples of schemes of work to help us brainstorm ideas for
our own ensembles, and for the festival as a whole. The theme
was ‘Stargazing’ so we were all swatting up on constellations,
black holes, planets and asking ourselves questions like: What will I
focus on? How much Science do I need to know? How will this all
be linked together as a story line? How will it all work?
To make sure I had a foundation of ideas and knowledge I
headed to the University library to borrow some Primary Science
and literature books that would act as possible sources of
inspiration. Two books that I took to the festival were:
The dummies’ guide to the universe: ‘I wonder why stars
twinkle? And other questions about space’ by Carole Stott and
A selection of stories about the constellations: ‘The Heavenly
Zoo: Legends and Tales of the Stars’, by Alison Lurie
Feeling pretty knowledgeable about Space, and armed with my
useful books, I headed to Portugal! Little did I know that I would
not open those books the entire time I was there, and, that this
would be one of the most fulfilling festivals, in terms of personal
professional development, I had been to for many a year. I arrived
during the initial planning meeting to hear mention of Dorothy
Heathcote’s mantle of the expert. It had been years since I had
implemented work related to mantle of the expert and teacher in
role, so, brushing the cobwebs off my under gradate Drama
knowledge, I threw myself onto the space ship and together, as
officers at the Inter Stella Training Academy (ISTA!), we ensemble
leaders embarked on a mission that would transport us all to new
levels.
Learning on the job
During this event we worked ‘in’ and ‘out’ of role, but treated
the whole festival as a training course, where the students were
cadets acquiring necessary skills for their assigned missions.
Working in squadrons they had identity as a small group, but also
as cadets as part of the training academy. Having not worked so
extensively in role before I learnt a great deal about the students
responses and receptivity to this specific pedagogy, plus how to
adapt my own delivery to enable the entire ‘mission’ to be
successful. Key learning points were:
• Students rose to the challenges when in role, and energy levels
increased when the bar was raised regarding what was
expected of them as cadets, as oppose to students
• The choice of language ‘in role’ is crucial to enable the
students to suspend disbelief. If I broke character for a moment
they we would have lost the illusion
• When on our exploratory mission to the planet of Vargon,
students found the most original landscapes, vegetation,
traditional life and cultural dances, in a very short amount of
time. Their discoveries were vivid and exciting, feeding the
drama and bringing the group together as a squadron with their
shared unique knowledge. I had never seen such intensely
creative work achieved in such a short amount of time.
• At one stage I decided to use movement and fabric – things I
love to work with in drama. The students responded very
creatively to this work, and that session taught me not to leave
my whole self at the door when working on mantle of the
expert, as we all have strengths that can be applied in practice
Summing it up
ISTA festivals give the staff a chance to develop and grow
professionally, as they adapt to a new environment and context, to
work with often unfamiliar staff, teachers and students. There is
inevitably a moment of doubt for the ISTA staff member, as they
question if they can really do this, whatever ‘this’ is, or may turn
out to be. But, because of the trust, the willingness to experiment
without fear, the magnanimity and the rapport, we rise to the
challenge, as every event becomes a fountain of knowledge for us
to drink from and learn a little more about the mysteries of being
an ISTA staff member, a drama teacher and a theatre practitioner.
Reference
Boyd, M. (2009) ‘Building Relationships’, The Stage, 02/04/09
PRIMARY
DRAMA
By Dorothy Whitelaw, member of the hosting
team, St Julian’s School, Portugal
I hail from the Kingdom of Fife,
Scotland where I taught for many
years. My interest in Drama began
after observing a friend and colleague
who was a visiting Drama specialist.
Her energy, innovation and
enthusiasm inspired me to bring
Drama into my teaching. The results
have been amazing.
Using Drama in the classrom has helped me to build
positive relationships with my children. It is a pleasure to
watch children express themselves in a creative way,
work together as a team and gain confidence as the
year goes by. Having taught in Singapore, Malaysia and
Portugal, Drama has been an essential tool in my
experience of mainstream, EAL and SEN teaching.
Ista has brought back memories of that first
inspirational colleague’s Drama lessons.
How refreshing to still be inspired and have access
to new and exciting material.
Thanks you ista – please continue to inspire all
around the world!!!
In my leisure time I love to relax with friends and play
tennis and squash.
It was with great enthusiasm that I approached this
year’s ISTA Festival, hosted by us at St. Julian’s School.
The use of drama in the Primary classroom has always
been a high priority for me from my early teaching days
at home in Scotland and then developing as I moved
around the world teaching in Singapore and Malaysia.
My early impression of St. Julian’s was that we had raw talent
and huge enthusiasm from the students that was not being fully
developed in the Primary school and so I volunteered to lead staff
INSET that focused on drama. My enthusiasm for games and team
building activities, along with improvised telephone conversations,
act-it-out situations, role-play and mime in particular were
responsible for a more holistic approach to Drama in the primary
classroom. This then led into Drama as a subject becoming more
mainstream and accessible to the staff.
Along with my colleagues we have spent the past 5 Spring
Terms producing a Year 5 play involving around 70 children from
the English and Portuguese section of the Primary School. We
began with a hilarious version of Jack and the Beanstalk and with
each consequent year have developed the dramatic skills of both
staff and children culminating in this year’s Olivia (a female version
of Oliver) that was received with huge enthusiasm from our
audiences.
I heard about the ISTA Primary Festival from Zoe Weiner, a
friend in the Theatre Arts Department in the Secondary School. We
managed to persuade our colleagues that taking Primary aged
12 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

children overseas would be a fantastic experience. Our first venture
was to Rome with a small group of Year 5 children. What an
amazing experience! We then didn’t hesitate in journeying to
Dusseldorf with a larger group of children.
This year I was very proud to be part of the team hosting the
Festival. As our visitors from all around Europe arrived it was
wonderful to see familiar faces. The ensemble leaders introduced
themselves to the children and immediately we were in role – ready
to solve our mission. We had asked the ensemble leaders if we
could use Space as our topic in line with our summer Science
topic and what a fantastic job they did. As President Bell of the
Inter Stella Training Academy introduced her Squadron leaders and
assigned the cadets to their training squadrons the children were
engrossed immediately and awaited their instructions with
enthusiasm, determined to find a new and exciting planet for us to
live on.
As a host, for me, it was so satisfying to watch all these
children work together, gain confidence, make new friends and
become more comfortable in their new surroundings at such a
young age. I am sure for many of them this would be their first
experience away from home. What an experience!!
Introducing ISTA to the Primary school has been a huge
success. I look forward to being involved in many more Primary
ISTA festivals.
DIARY OF AN
ISTA STAFF
MEMBER
By Matthew Godfrey
ISTA Staff
Originally from Canada, Matthew is
an Actor, Producer and Director who
has worked on stage and in tv/film
since the age of 10. As a freelance
artist, currently based in Los Angeles,
he continues to develop projects after
spending two years producing
commercials for NBC/Universal.
The ISTA staff is an eclectic group of artists who bring with
them numerous and disparate methodologies and creative
processes. One common denominator I have noticed working with
them is that they all embrace change and enter into any festival
with the expectation that their ideas will be changed and modified
by the students, location, host school and the other staff.
Another common denominator is that they almost all travel with
notebooks. These are a collection of notes, journals, drawings,
course plans, observations and ideas.
The following is a sampling of the notebook I kept for the St.
Julian’s festival along with observations made with the clarity of
hindsight.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010.
Redondo Beach Brewing Co., LAX, Terminal 6.
En route to Lisbon via Newark, New Jersey.
A delay of departure and time for a bit of writing. Feels like ages
since I wrote but it has only been a week since coming back from
London (ACS Hillingdon International School, HS Festival). It was a
zippy week filled with the Olympics, catching up with Emile (my wife)
and the cats while preparing a bit mentally for this upcoming fest in
Lisbon while trying to refill after emptying out for London.
So, next…. primary kids and the Solar System/Stargazing/The
Unknown: I see doing some ensemble work with a rope as a way
to create orbits and feel the pull and connection. That and a tie
into rhythm. Perhaps a game where the closer one is to the middle
the faster one revolves – and from that create rhythm that together
creates the unity of sound (This idea came from a concept which I
had ascribed to Plato, but actually belongs to Kepler, Pythagoras
and Ptolemy (thanks Google) which equates a unique musical note
to the individual movements of stars and planets).
The effect of mass and how it can curve space – ball into sheet
to demonstrate. Movement patterns around that mass. Use
numbers to change degrees of weight and therefore quality of
movement or rhythm.
A trick will be to balance an exploration of the unknown while
drawing on space concepts that label and confine the unknown
into known quantities.
Shared story to explain the unknown.
Instead of the world map game – turn it into an Ecliptic Zodiac
game. Make a wheel on the floor and place the signs all around.
Could use the Zodiac as a way to divide up the group. (This is an
adaptation of a game I like to play in the first session or sometimes
with full group. A map of the world is imagined covering the entire
floor space. Ask the students to go to where they were born; then
to where they first moved to, where they live now, their dream
vacation, the place they felt happiest, etc… It works as an icebreaker
and a group spatial awareness exercise. They introduce
themselves to who they find in each location and have to adjust
their position to be sure that if they are standing in “India” another
student who is standing in “China” is not standing “south” of
them). With the Zodiac game they may find commonalities with
birthdays or signs that appeal to them and why. This may also be a
good starting point for basic ensemble shape building.
I have always been drawn to the symbol of Libra and didn’t
quite know why until just now.
6:45 pm EST
The Irish Pub @ Newark Airport
This is my first time back in the New York area since 1994.
Saw the skyline from a distance as I was on the wrong side of the
plane and there was a great deal of cloud cover. Planets – The
unknown. Need to come up with some ideas for different worlds.
Let’s take 7 planets. Pluto is out (handily unless some group of
kids really want to use it – however it was declassified as a planet
and they may be young enough not to remember it as a planet).
Take away Earth as it is too well known and not unknown, and that
leaves 7. Mercury – Messenger/Venus – Love/Mars – War/Jupiter –
King/Saturn – Wisdom? (Father of Jupiter, killed...)/Neptune – The
Ocean/Uranus – Creator. Let’s see what they bring to it.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 (on Plane)
2:15 am EST / 7:15 GMT.
309 miles due east of Lisbon
The sun has risen over Europe and Africa and we are on the
final leg of the flight. 500 years ago ships headed out from this
point into the great unknown and now we just cross over it in a few
hours while taking a nap and watching a film. Looking out the
window I can almost see them crossing the big vast blue. The
bravery and resolve are truly something that has not been matched
in the modern world. Astronauts know that there is a return journey
planned. They are not just sent out with the vague notion that if it
all works out they will reappear on the other side. What must they
have thought seeing all that blue and nothing but horizon. Horizons
are a different idea: Nothing with the possibility of something.
4:45 pm Resto do Chapito, Lisbon
If possible I always try to arrive a day or two before the festival
to have a good look around on my own and if possible visit the
site/s that we will see on the day out with the students.
A stunning view of the city looking west, just below the Castelo
de Sao Jorge. I spent far too little time up there but the journey
was getting there and getting lost through all the alleys and streets.
Bought a bracelet from a street peddler from Senegal by the name
of Agi. Wouldn’t normally have bought it but the one he thrust at
me had a star design in it and I liked the connection to the theme
of the fest. You could tell he liked his Qat judging from his eyes and
teeth. Hard to think that it is from here that much of what we know
as the New World was discovered. Sadly I do have to dash to
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4 | 13

catch the train back to Carcavelos. Wish they could all just come
and meet me here. Be funny if we all headed back to Lisbon for
dinner. Anyway, time to shower and find my way down the hill to
Rua do Arsenal or Avenue Infante D. Henrique.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
St. Julian’s, Carcavelos
Staff Planning Day
Really work on reflection time.
Key questions:
• Why do we travel into space and are not content to stay where
we are?
• What would you take from your culture to share with another?
Should you impose ones culture on another?
• Multicultural integration – What do we take of our humanity?
Ignite the creative pursuit of the science without getting stuck
on the facts.
• What is their understanding of their own culture – what do they
hang onto of themselves as they head into the unknown?
Rebecca (the AD) just introduced an idea that I am not familiar
with. Never heard the term “Mantle of the Expert”. An overall
structure to the ensemble work is laid out as follows:
1. Address them as cadets – Each group has its own culture and
practices.
2. Earth is so overcrowded that we are to set out to create
another earth.
3. They embark to explore this new planet.
4. Throw them a problem. Something that jeopardizes (challenges)
the mission.
5. Full Group is reporting back to Cadet Training Facility.
I think I’ll concentrate on the idea of first contact and see where
it goes from there. That way I can have half the group being the
aliens and half the explorers. Jumping to gibberish should happen
early – great way for them to create a shared experience and really
listen to each other while getting the thinking out of the way. Find
out how many languages they speak and which ones before hand
so that they don’t revert to them thinking I won’t notice.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Riviera Hotel, 11pm
I’ve actually turned in early. This is odd. Tomorrow must be a
focused drive.
The day out in Belem was brilliant and we all had a great time,
but getting the students to concentrate after being rained on,
seeing Belem, dinner and then playing in the gutter run off is next
to impossible. I had a very wet ensemble session. Wet kid smell
permeates. Need to discard the music of the spheres idea. Just
too much in the time allotted. Took a long walk during dinner. I’m
trying to include too many ideas and concepts. Tomorrow we will
just have to build a space ship and blast off to a planet – use the
Zodiac to determine a frame work of where and what. Once there
I’ll divide them into two groups and lead them through a big
Improv/play thing and see what starts to come together. Somehow
by tomorrow evening we’ll have something. Students just want to
play and are not playing the way I had thought they would. I think
there’s something to that. Time to jump into their world and see
where it takes me.
There were some great sentences said during the film on
Lisbon that one of the students hurriedly copying down. 1: The
Greatness of the Desire to depart and then to return. 2: To launch
upon the waves with the horizon as their destiny.
I like the images of what Europeans thought people in Africa
and Asia might look like. See if they noticed that too.
First off I’ll lead them through a pre-vis of the journey. Set up all
the questions that will create the details and the sounds that will be
created. Next reintroduce the rope as the building block of the
journey. Let’s see if we can use this rope as a unifying device
throughout whatever we end up creating. Then introduce the mission
and work through the trip and the colonization of the planet.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Workshop day
Managed to check out two workshops. Loved seeing
Adrienne’s clown work – definitely will be borrowing a few of those
games, especially the status game with the hat. One student wears
a hat (higher status - Boss) the other follows them around as close
as possible and mocks them. The goal is for the lower status not to
be caught. I could combine that with Vincenzo’s exercise of having
the lower status person walk double-time to the higher status (from
his Status workshop at the ACS Hillingdon festival).
Today worked very well.
After designing spacecraft, determining what we needed to
bring and including as many ideas as possible they build them
using their bodies/physicalities (rope is an encumbrance at the
moment) and figuring out how to blast off and land. They
determined that we would visit Neptune. One very bright student
can’t get beyond what is actually on Neptune (her dad is a scientist
and apparently she has learnt a lot). Once the others got hold of
the idea there was no turning back. Neptune it is, but with a slight
twist as they will be Neptunian Aquarians.
The break through really came when it struck me that we needed
to break out of the room. So we climbed through the window and
into the courtyard. They loved going through the window. We then,
as a group, explored the courtyard as if it were a new world.
They are very good at taking direction, but you do have to lead
by example. The only way to keep the students as a cohesive unit
at the moment is if I am one of them. If I remain “the teacher”
shouting instructions only half of them will get it and then they get
frustrated when the others aren’t following suit.
Back to the planet: The atmosphere destroyed all of our
language skills so we had to rely on gibberish. All the Nuptunian /
Water-world ideas disappeared. After about ten minutes I directed
them back to the space craft and through the window we went.
Once inside we were able to debrief and share what was
discovered. Their stories began to form into one group story. Next
step was to divide the class in two and send half of them out to be
Neptunians while the other half were to remain as astronauts. Once
the Neptunians were outside and had established a home base and
way of moving about the astronauts blasted off and landed and
climbed through the window. The two groups saw each other and
after a few minutes of slowly approaching… the grabbing and
pulling started as the Neptunians wanted a prisoner and the
astronauts wanted to shoot the Neptunians. The prisoners were
lead off to a pick nick table where the Neptunians proceeded to
hand them dirt and twigs and try to communicate with the language
they had concocted. Some of the astronauts did not respond well
tossing the dirt and twigs aside and the Neptunians became very
agitated. As the “play” started to disintegrate I called for a hasty
retreat back to the space ship – back through the window.
Again we reviewed the mission. Two points of view started to
emerge from the shared story. The Neptunians didn’t want a
captive they just wanted to take the astronauts to their home. They
were offering their sacred flowers to the astronauts but the
astronauts misunderstood the cultural importance of the offered
gifts and when it was tossed aside, the Neptunians became very
angry and hostile.
So with the lessons learned, we ran the mission again. I have
less and less astronauts as they are having more fun as
Neptunians, who oddly enough have acquired the physicality of
having their heads and faces below their shoulders like the
drawings we saw on Friday at the Monument of Discovery. This
time a lot of energy was spent on the nature of the sacred plants
and offering them to the visitors. When the offending moment
happened, pandemonium descended quite rapidly. The
Neptunian’s would not release their captives and it became an all
out war with many different holding cells all across the courtyard.
We blasted off again with a few plot points to hit and some
further protocols regarding first contact which the group decided
upon so that we wouldn’t descend into chaos. Through the
window. More and more detail is being added each time and the
movements of the two groups are becoming more distinct.
Additionally they have started to build their own hierarchies in the
two separate groups and are functioning more as a unit. This time
the Neptunians didn’t want to release a particularly hostile
astronaut (serves him right for being the only one who still insisted
14 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

on miming a big ray guy and trying to shoot everything in sight). A
hasty retreat back through the window and a discussion about the
one left behind. The two points that came out in the experience
and discussion were:
1. Respect Others Cultures
2. Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or
the one?
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Carcavelos
This morning went very quickly. My students and I revisited
what we had done yesterday and we all decided to present the
story of first contact with an alien race. However it will be told
through both perspectives: The Neptunians and the Astronauts.
The group will act out the story and freeze when the narrators (one
Neptunian and one English) take over. They have honed it down to
a very clear story and elements of each group take on the
encounter has been adopted by the other so to come across as a
tidy “he said/ she said”. During tech we came up with a very dark
lighting idea and found a strobe light. That way it will hopefully look
like a video message that has been received back at the Cadet
Training Facility. The students decided in the end that they had to
leave one astronaut behind for the good of the group thus
presenting the Cadet Training Facility / fellow students / audience
with the question: Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs
of the few, or the one?
The Festival is done and a number of the staff have already left.
Rebecca and I are the last two left. We’ll meet later for dinner. The
students all left at noon right after the performance and everything
is very quiet. One gets the feeling of a ghost wandering through a
town that was once filled with people you knew. Rebecca, Pete,
Fenella and I spend a grand afternoon down by the sea having a
drink, watching the surfers and a group of kids building a castle
out of drift wood while we slowly let the experiences of the
weekend fade into memory.
Monday, March 8, 2010
249 km from Newark
5:55 GMT
Slept through most of that flight. Didn’t get up once. Half hour
to go and then the change to the next flight. What a challenging
festival that was. Good in the end but a real challenge to focus in
the energy of the group and get them energized about a single
storyline. Just needed more time – because the “structured play”
(basically group Improv) way of exploring worked very well and I
would have loved to explore the planet a bit more.
‘I’D DO IT ALL
OVER AGAIN!’
By Melanie Praag, housing coordinator and
host family
My name is Melanie Praag and I am
from England. For the last 4 years, I
have lived in Portugal but I have also
lived in Germany and Cyprus as well
as the UK. I have been married to
Adrian for 14 years and we have one
daughter, Danielle, who took part in
the ISTA festival at St Julian’s. My
primary role now is wife and mum but
prior to getting married, I was a Human Resources
Manager within the UK drinks industry.
My name’s Melanie and I’ve become an ISTAholic! Four months
ago I was just a parent rep for year six and then.....
“We’re opening up the junior ISTA festival to year six so could
you find out who might be interested?” That’s how it started. Little
did I know what I was letting myself in for. No problem I thought.
Eighty students visiting, forty places for St Julian’s, each of our
students hosts two visitors – hosting sorted. Next!
Oh, if only it were that simple. Perhaps that’s how it goes in
fantasy ISTA-land but unfortunately, that’s not how things happen
in the real world.
To start with, only 26 of our students wanted to be involved so
we already had a shortfall of host families. Even though the
numbers visiting dropped, we still needed either to persuade
hosting families to take more children or to find more families. Not
easy. Many parents said in principal they would have extra children
but logistically would not able to transport more children. There was
also some confusion regarding the law about carseats for children
which even the local police station was pretty vague about! (In
Portugal, it is in fact 150cm to cease using a booster seat and sit in
the front seat unlike many European countries where it is 135cm).
Although three families, myself included, agreed to the first option, it
was clear that the second route would be our main option.
Then the fun began: allocating visitors to host families. There
was the age of the children to consider. For many of them this
would be their first trip away from their parents and ISTA policy is
to house children in pairs with a person from their school and to
house boys and girls separately. Easy if you have even numbers
from each school and even numbers of each sex but again that’s
not the real world. Then there were dietary, health and allergy
issues to consider.
From the experience of my daughter going to Germany ISTA
last year and also acting as a host for the senior festival at St
Julian’s last summer, I now understand why you don’t know who’ll
be staying with you until what seems like the last minute. As they
say in the military, no battle plan stands up to contact with the
enemy. The plan that was sent to ISTA was at least version 10! We
received late pairing suggestions from schools which were different
to mine and children dropped out for various reasons. Of course,
my public voice said “Oh that’s a shame”; the private one said,
”One less place to find”! Zoe Weiner, who co-ordinated the whole
festival, and I spent many hours in meetings, on the phone and via
email adapting the plan as each new piece of information arrived.
Finally, with one week to go, I hit send on the email and my
final plan, which my family had helped check, double and then
triple check to make sure nobody was missing, was sent to ISTA
for distribution to all participating schools. The following day, our
students went home clutching letters telling them who would
become extra members of their family for a few days. Time to relax
a little....or so I thought.
Three days before the students were due to arrive, we were told
that one student would not be able to come for family reasons
which left one girl staying on her own. No problem I thought, there
are three girls from her school staying with another family so we can
move one and everyone would be OK. Wrong! Nobody wanted to
move as they had already made contact with their host family.
Two days to go and we received a phone call from one of the
host parents to say that her children had a virus and although they
would still like to host, it would perhaps not be advisable.
Thankfully I had a family in reserve for that ‘just in case situation’.
Finally, the 4th March arrived and all the names that had been
floating around my spreadsheet became real children. “Nearly
there”, I thought. The parents arrived in the St Julian’s courtyard
that evening, eager to meet their new charges and we had
chaperones waiting to take them into the hall to introduce them.
Soon just Zoe and I were left standing outside. All children were
with their host family and it was now time for me to go home with
my daughter and my three extra girls. I walked into the hall and, oh
no, four girls and two boys. That wasn’t in the plan! One host
family had not shown up. A couple of phone calls and it was
sorted. The family had not received the emails but were happy to
take the boys anyway. I was so pleased that we had an extra
person available who delivered the boys to their temporary home.
The event was a great success, the weather was kinder than
the weatherman’s forecast and all the children seemed happy with
their temporary homes and vice versa.
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4 | 15

So, in conclusion, I may have a few more grey hairs than I had
back in January but it was worth it to see the final drama
performance, listen to feedback from parents and watch your
children making new friends.
And if I got that email a second time? Of course I’d do it all again!
HOST FAMILY
STORIES
This host family have lived in Portugal for 4 years. Prior
to this they lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil and then spent four
years in Kent.
What was the general response to hosting within your
community? Were families reluctant or chomping at the bit
to get involved?
In my son’s case, chomping at the bit. It was more hosting
visitors from another country than the Festival activities that he was
excited about. We were initially hesitant; we would not consider
sending our son overseas – at 9 yrs 8 months he was amongst the
youngest children in Y5 – we were worried that the children coming
to us would be very young, too. They were not, it turned out, and
had no apparent anxieties about being so far away from home.
Did your daughter/son take part – if so what was their
experience?
My son did take part. He was only just old enough to appreciate
the finer points of stagecraft but, just a few weeks after the Festival,
put in a wonderful performance as Artful Dodger in the Y5 Play; not
something I think he would have contemplated without the
workshop training that ISTA provided. Some of the training went
over his head slightly but he loved activities with lots of movement
and noise and thought the experience of the final performance
wonderful. Friends who had sent their children to previous ISTA’s
described how the experience meant that they gained in confidence
and maturity – that was certainly the case for us.
Did you know anything about ISTA before you got involved?
No. I went to see what I could find on the website.
What’s your overall impression of the organisation now you
have had the experience of hosting?
Really good, really positive. The standard of acting and tuition
was clearly very high. We parents could certainly learn a great deal
about capturing and holding the attention of our children!
Why did you decide to commit to hosting?
Because our son was superkeen to take part, because of what
other parents said about the ISTA Programme, because I spent a
lot of time overseas with families as a child (language exchanges)
and know how beneficial the experience can be; because St
Julian’s decided to host and we believe we should support school
in any positive way we can.
Which students did you house?
Alex and Lucas, 2 boys from Hamburg.
What kind of experience do you think they had in your home?
Our visitors seemed slightly less enthusiastic when asked to
describe the day’s goings-on at the Festival – but did appear to
gain a great deal from the experience overall and certainly seemed
to enjoy themselves.
We didn’t have that much time to get to know them and
decided to go out on the Saturday night with some other host
families, which in retrospect we wouldn’t do again. Not because
we didn’t all enjoy ourselves but the boys – on a different timescale
and probably very tired anyway - became totally hyper. I imagine
they were exhausted when they got back home!
What activities did you undertake while the visiting students
were in your home?
We only really had Saturday evening – see above. We had all
wanted to take the visitors to a typical ‘Portuguese’ restaurant but
when we asked what the visitors liked to eat the answers ‘not meat’
and ‘not fish’ meant that Portuguese Pizza was chosen to universal
approval. They really needed space to run around and fresh air.
What impact did having a visiting student have on your family?
Bigger than we thought, but not in a negative way. More to do
with anxiety relating to ‘what is coming next’. We were slightly
confused about the age of the boys. There’s a huge difference
between a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old in terms of what they’re
permitted to do, watch, eat, etc. We had a few concerns about car
seats etc because the law in Portugal is very strict and the fines
high. I think it’s probably good to have this information in advance.
But overall the boys all got on really well, there was lots of
laughter, everyone was interested in each other’s way of life. I know
that several hosting families found that the children, being in pairs,
didn’t want to interact at all; this was not the case for us and it all
worked very well.
FESTIVALS AND
‘EXCELLENCE’
in Continuing Professional
Development
By Becky Patterson
ISTA Staff
Becky Patterson is a Senior Lecturer
at Manchester Metropolitan where
she teaches Drama in Education.
Before working at MMU she taught at
Poynton High School and Performing
Arts College in Cheshire. Becky's
background is predominantly in T.I.E.
although she holds a degree in Law
and a Masters in Performance
Practice. Becky has worked with Cheshire Youth Theatre
and other Community theatre companies in the UK. She
has staffed the New York University study abroad
programme for the past three yrs and has also been
developing drama in education programmes in Hong
Kong and China. Becky is working towards her PHD.
The return to the Planet St Julian’s
It is always a pleasure to be invited to staff an ISTA Festival
wherever in the world it may be. It is even more pleasurable when
you know the school is such a delightful place to be and that you will
be welcomed with open arms by a lovely staff that you haven’t seen
for years and with the knowledge that you can pick up where you
left off. It was four years ago that I last visited St Julian’s in Portugal
and much has happened in that time. Then, I had recently begun a
new job at Manchester Metropolitan University as a Senior Lecturer
in Drama in Education. I had been in the post for just under a year
and Higher Education and Initial Teacher Training (ITT) was all still
very new to me. I was predominantly responsible for delivering the
drama element of the BA in Education, a four-year course which
carries Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for those wanting to teach in
primary education. I was also teaching on the one year intensive
Post Graduate Certificate of Education (Primary and Secondary
levels). I was interested to discover that St Julian’s follows the British
curriculum up to GCSE level and I learned a great deal from the then
Head of Drama, Darren Scully, about the way drama was used
progressively throughout the school. I also made an immediate
connection with Zoe Weiner who at the time was teaching
predominantly dance and drama in the primary school at St Julian’s.
Her incredible enthusiasm and interest in the role of the arts across
the school was evident and it came as no surprise to see that she
was a driving force behind this festival but perhaps a little more
surprised to discover she had done this whilst on maternity leave!
16 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

How things change
Before I arrived in Lisbon in March of this year I had been
reading through the staff materials sent to me by Del and by the
festival Artistic Director (AD) Rebecca Bell. It struck me just how
much the focus has shifted in recent times towards an
understanding of the different needs of the various participants in
the festival experience. The Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) programme (delivered at festivals through a series of Teacher
Workshops) for example, has really taken off and the role of the
festival Rep has become defined not just by their
logistical/organisational responsibilities, but also by their role as
facilitator of the CPD programme (that also encompasses an
‘advisory’ element). This has highlighted the ‘bigger picture’ of the
festival experience beyond the ensembles and the final
performance. It has, I believe, lead to a stronger partnership
between ISTA and its member schools resulting in a much richer
collaboration. Indeed looking at the previous edition of Scene I
noted the incredible number of diverse opportunities for teachers
that has occurred over the last 12 months.
When I began working with ISTA in 2001 I was a high school
drama teacher in a UK school and performing arts college and
Sally had just taken over the reigns. Following each festival I
participated in, whether as a staff member or as a teacher with
students, I felt energised and enthused with new ideas to take
back to my classrooms. The experiences provided me and my
colleagues with the best possible professional development I could
have acquired. I was learning on the job. I participated in
workshops lead by innovative and interesting practitioners. I tried
things out that I had not had time to do at school. I talked to
people about their work and soaked up their knowledge. This
enthusiasm spread throughout the department back home and
soon three of my colleagues had joined the ISTA staff pool and I
know they would echo my words.
As I now wear the mantle of a teacher trainer I have begun to
analyse more what it is that happens to teachers during the
festivals and why they are so good at providing solid teacher CPD
often in very informal situations. In my job now sadly, I seem to
have fewer opportunities than ever to practice my craft as an artist,
certainly less than I did as a school teacher. Because of the
pressures of the present Primary National Curriculum in the UK
much of the bread and butter of my work at MMU focuses on how
to use drama in the wider curriculum and in the case of the
Secondary PGCE, it is largely driven by time constraints that
preclude much experimentation beyond the basics. The rest is left
to the Subject Mentors in school (which is how it should be, as
long as we can guarantee quality of experience). Given these
constraints this is what makes the ISTA festival experience an
exciting prospect for all teachers at whatever level of experience.
The real focus of any ISTA festival is and should be the child’s
experience. They are the true ISTA client but the ‘shift’ or
expansion that has taken place in recent years, into providing a
fuller and richer experience for teachers and staff, is a positive
move and an area that I hope ISTA can continue to develop.
How we learn in collaboration
Before the festival began Rebecca Bell had sent us materials
that were useful and informative, yet not prescriptive, and this
helped frame our thinking prior to the festival. The festival had been
planned in such a way that the curriculum links were made explicit.
Zoe had a plan that was viable and exciting. Because we were
made aware of some of the students’ prior knowledge of the
starting point of space we were able to make plans that were
focused and relevant to the young people. At the same time we
were able to provide frameworks for the teachers that could easily
be transferred back to their classrooms.
As a specialist in drama in education who teaches
predominantly non specialists, I am always cognisant of the fact
that there is still a lot of fear surrounding the notion of using drama
in the classroom. I am acutely aware of this and I spend a great
deal of my contact time with students (trainees) building frameworks
and structures to promote confidence in delivery. Discussion often
reverts to the problems inherent in defining what we mean by
outcomes, learning objectives and assessment in drama. These are
issues that we are constantly wrangling with at every level of study
and there are still no concrete answers. We can read every book
that has ever been written about drama in education (and believe
me I’ve read a lot) and still no one has committed to a given set of
principles that define what it is that we do. We just know that it
works and that it is of value to the process of learning. It was this
notion that I heard echoing from all the teachers and staff that I
spoke to at the Lisbon festival - value, value, value.
Angela Harris, the new Primary School Principle at St Julian’s
has only been in post a year. She is an experienced teacher and
clearly has a vision as to how she would like to see the school
progress. Her unyielding support throughout the festival was
illustrative of the way in which this school, like other ISTA member
schools, value the intrusion of the festival because of the positive
energy that is generated and the legacy that is so often left. Whilst
in conversion with Angela she commented that she was really
looking forward to the in-service day on Monday that Rebecca Bell
was staying on to deliver with the entire Primary School faculty.
She was expecting that some of the staff may find it challenging as
it would be a new and possibly a radical departure from the norm
but her wish was to motivate staff and to boost moral, not to force
yet another new policy initiative, and she hoped it might help them
to bond. Feedback confirms that it did!
There were a number of other interesting additions to the
teacher group at this festival which amounted to a diverse group of
specialist and non specialists. I had the opportunity to speak to
some of the visiting teachers and glean from them some notions of
how drama is being used or viewed in their school contexts. There
was a similar story of very little actually. Some suggested that
drama was creeping in to cross-curricular days and was being
used as an approach to the new national curriculum in the UK but
mainly still as an ‘add on’ and was largely reserved for school
productions. Emma Stritt, from Cornwall, talked about the legacy
from an experience we had shared about four years ago in the
Hague when we met at an ISTA Teacher Experience focussed on
Primary Drama led by Maggie Young. She spoke of how it had
changed the way she approached her drama sessions at school
especially in terms of preparing for school productions and how
the process had become so much more important than the final
product. For me too as someone who had experience of
secondary drama it opened my eyes much more to the potential
for rich material to be used with younger students. This is
ultimately why I had attended the festival as a staff member and I
wasn’t disappointed.
It struck me how potentially rich a place the ISTA festival is with
regard to CPD. This time there were a number of teachers who were
attending the festival alone with varying personal agendas. I had the
opportunity to speak to most and to ascertain what their thoughts
were on this matter. It seems to range from having the opportunity to
observe the ISTA staff working with students (in the guise of ISTA’s
new Fest Track Programme). This would be frustrating if one merely
dipped in and out of ensembles as it is difficult to follow the process
however by tracking an ensemble one can see the progression from
session to session, as the relationships and the levels of trust build.
One teacher attended to attempt to ascertain whether it would be a
good idea to bring students in the future or to even consider hosting.
As well as each teacher being able to fulfil their own objectives in
attending there is the opportunity for all teachers to acquire that
knowledge and insight from simply sharing a dialogue with
colleagues. I believe I would be speaking truthfully if I said also that
this festival provided a forum for discussing a wide range of issues
openly and productively.
The Teacher Workshop programme underpinned the work that
was happening with the children, as a number of the sessions were
run by Rebecca Bell. She was able to link the work that was
developing in ensembles by explaining the processes and strategies
underlying the work of the ISTA staff. In this case, the fact that we
were using a Mantle of the Expert approach, provided a more
structured framework for the potential development for future cross
curricular activities back in respective schools.
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4| 17

Conclusion
From my own perspective the festival raised some general
issues regarding ITT (initial teacher training) or ITE (initial teacher
education). As I mentioned earlier, the common barrier for student
teachers in the UK is about fear of taking risks in the classroom.
Many arrive at university with a lot of baggage that they have
carried from school and so much depends on their own
experiences of drama in education. We all know that quality as well
as quantity vary enormously from school to school and it is even
more difficult to gain quality assurance with a non-national
curriculum subject that is at the discretion of the Administration.
ISTA quite simply provides a benchmark of quality for its
member schools, teachers and staff. This was something that
reassured me many years ago when I first took a group of students
to the Vienna High School festival – for the large part, were getting
it right! All teachers, regardless of age or experience, need this
reassurance. Not in a competitive manner, but to know that they
are offering their students the best possible opportunities. To some
extent this requires them to be responsible for keeping abreast of
new developments and ideas. This does not just mean in terms of
specifications or Syllabi, but with new and fresh ideas that can be
generated through collaborations and the sharing of good practice.
So for new or non-specialist teachers, and for trainees, to see
and experience first hand the possibilities for excellence is an
essential element of the process of quality assurance. Learning
through first hand experience is the best possible scenario. In
university I would hope that is what we offer as far as possible. But it
is still often hypothetical as it is a rare occurrence to see lecturers,
trainees and students (young people) in the room at the same time.
We model good practice as if the participants were the class but
again, the baggage often prohibits real involvement and too often I
hear, “Well I’d be fine with kids but it’s difficult with my peers”. So to
be at an ISTA festival in the room with real children, watching an
artist/teacher at work and participating in workshops and ensembles
and discussions, provides profound opportunities for learning that
will not be forgotten. More so these experiences can be used as
data for research and provide valuable material for evaluation.
At every festival there is a wealth of knowledge and expertise to
be shared and co–opted by all. The fact that this is now being
formalised in ISTA’s CPD programme is to be celebrated and
should be built upon.
Personally, I would like to see this work being developed further
and for ISTA to become accredited academically as part of a
masters programme. This is not just for the sake of gaining a
qualification but I believe (now after years of hard slog) that the
processes involved in this level of study assist in the consolidation
of ideas and skills by helping individuals to become more reflective
and subsequently reflexive practitioners.
‘FUN AND COOL’
By Eleni Karatsoli, host school student
St Julian’s School, Portugal
My name is Eleni Karatsoli and I am
10 years old. I have brown hair, brown
eyes and white skin. I am Greek. I live
in Portugal and I go to St Julian’s
School. I live in an apartment with a
garden that has lots of beautiful
flowers and green grass. My favourite
colour is blue and my favourite food
is meatballs with potatoes. My
favourite sport is football and I really like being the
goalkeeper. My favourite game is cops and robbers and I
also like playing tag. My favourite lesson at school is
Literacy and my favourite teacher is Ms Whitelaw. I really
enjoyed the ISTA Festival and I hope you did too.
I decided to enter the ISTA festival, because I thought it would
be fun and cool. I was a bit nervous about meeting the people that
I was hosting but when I met them, I calmed down. I felt different
after the first day, because I had had a bit of an experience of what
it was like to meet new people and to learn new things about
drama. I really liked my team leader and one of the best qualities of
my ensemble was when we had to make a statue all together by
joining different parts of our body. The ISTA festival could improve
very much if it didn’t end at 8 o clock in the night. But despite that,
it was a really cool and fun festival and I’m really looking forward to
the next one.
HOW WILL WE
SAVE PLANET
EARTH?
By Danielle Praag, host school student
St Julian’s School, Portugal
My name Danielle Imogen Alice
Praag. I was born in Akrotiri, Cyprus
on 25th July 1999 but I am a British
Citizen. When I was one, we moved
back to England, then, when I was 3
we moved to Germany and then,
when I was 6, we moved to Portugal
and I have been here ever since. At
the moment I am in Year 6 at St.
Julian’s School. At St. Julian’s, I am a senior. Swimming
is my best sport and I’m in the Lisbon Bullsharks; a
swim team that is part of a European swim league. My
favourite food is Cheesy Pasta but I ABSOLUTELY loathe
risotto ... and hot spicy stuff ... and hot sauces ... and
meat. In fact, I am a pescatarian (vegetarian who eats
fish). The two television programs I like to watch are Top
Gear and Doctor Who. In school my favourite subjects
are English, humanities and science. I really enjoy
reading and at the moment I am reading Breaking Dawn
from The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. I like
listening to most music and take my iPod everywhere.
On Thursday I was so excited. I could hardly wait for school to
end! When it finally did, I quickly got changed and went to the
main hall. When everyone was ready, we sat down and got a
warm welcome, first from Mr Smith, then from Mrs Harris and then
from President Bell (the ISTA AD.) Then all the ensemble leaders
introduced themselves and then they left the room to step into
their new selves. President Bell stayed in the room but that didn't
stop her stepping into her new self. She became President Bell of
the Inter Stella Training Academy (or ISTA for short.) Our salute
was: “Deep thinking [put your index fingers to your temple] and
process linking [touch your index finger together]. She explained
to us that we were now in the year 2050 and that Earth was
overcrowded and our mission was to find another planet for the
human race to live on. Then we did some spacey things like heavy
gravity (where the gravity is strong) zero gravity (where the gravity
is weak) 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 blastoff (where we had to go to the walls and
say 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 blastoff. On blastoff we had to run to the opposite
wall.) Then we had dinner and split up into our ensemble groups.
My leader was Becky or as we called her, Squadron Leader
Patterson. First we played a ball game where you had to throw a
ball to someone and say your name. It got harder when you had
to say the other person’s name. Then you had to remember who
you got the ball from and who you passed it to because we had
to do it again in the same order. Then it got confusing because
18 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

Squadron Leader Patterson threw in more balls. Then we played a
game where someone was chosen to walk on the alien Planet.
When they got back to their seat two more people could stand up
but only two if more than two stood up, they have to sit back
down again. This went on until we got to five people. Then it was
time to go. Before we left, Squadron Leader Patterson told us
about the trip to Lisbon the enxt day. She said that our star sign
was Leo, so we could recognise other Leos when we were out
and about. That was lucky for me since I am a Leo! Then we went
off to find the people we were hosting. When we got home the
girls did some Skypeing/emailing/texting/phoning to their parents
and then we went to bed. I could hardly sleep for the next day of
ISTA!
When the next day dawned I was so excited because we were
going into Lisbon. We all went down to the Primary Hall to await
our instructions. When just about everyone was there, we stepped
into our other selves from 2050. We got into lines in our ensemble
groups and Squadron Leader Patterson painted the Leo sign on
our faces or our hands. Soon we were ready to go. We got on the
coach and we set off. Soon “O Padrão dos Descobrimentos” was
in view. We parked and walked through “O Praço do Imperio” to
“O Mosteiro de Jeronimos.” Did you know that it contains the
tombs of the explorer Vasco da Gama (1468-1523) and the poet
Luís Vaz de Camões (1527-1580). It has a wishing lion. You make
a wish but you can't look into the lion’s eyes! Then we made our
way to the Pasteis de Belém. They’re one of my absolute favourite
cakes! Did you know that they have a six year old cake in the
shape of “Torre de Belem?” Then we went to “O Padrão dos
Descobrimentos.” Did you know in total there are thirty-three
statues round the monument? D. Henrique o Navegador, who is
the closest to the River Tejo, is the tallest at 9m. The rest are 7m.
Luís Vaz de Camões and Vasco da Gama are somewhere round
the monument as well. Then we watched a small film called
“Lisbon, a city with soul.” After wards we went and had lunch.
When we had finished lunch, we went to the Planetarium, where
we learned all about the Hubble telescope. It was started in the
1970s and on 24/5 April 1990 it was launched. Since then it has
got some amazing pictures. We got on the bus and went back to
school. When we were back we did some full group work and then
went into our ensembles. Before this though, we were given an
envelope. We could not open it because it could have something
bad inside it. It would have to be analysed before we could open it.
In our ensemble group we were asked to write a postcard about
today to our family. I wrote mine to my granddad. Then we got into
pairs and acted out the sending and receiving of the postcard. One
person (not you) had to act out how the postcard got to the
person who you sent it to. You were the person who you sent it to.
Then we had dinner and watched a play. It was about a girl whose
twelve brothers have been turned into wild ducks in the day. She
has to make twelve shirts out of nettles without crying, laughing or
speaking. When it was time to go home I could not believe we
were half way through ISTA!
On day three I was up and ready. Today we were going to do
our workshops. I was going to do the slow motion workshop and
then I did the stage-fighting workshop. But first we were in our
ensembles. We opened the envelope that we got the previous day.
Inside it was a letter saying we have to do something about earth
being overcrowded. It said they had included some microchips that
would enable us to have a vision of the future and give us a special
power we could only use once. It also had a postcard from a
planet called Leo and sure enough it had the microchips. Then we
went to break. After break we did our first workshop. Slow motion
is not that easy. We learnt how to walk, run, get up, be in a car
crash and pull the right faces. Then we had lunch. After lunch we
had our second workshop. I don't think it was as good as last time
I went to ISTA because last time we did weapon-less fighting
which I find much more interesting. We had break and went into
our ensembles. We did some things for the performance when
someone came in and said “CODE RED! I REPEAT! CODE
RED!” After Code Red we were dismissed. After ISTA we went to
Cabo da Roca. Then we had dinner with some of the people in our
village who were hosting as well.
It was the day of the big performance. I was so nervous! The
ensembles had to make their own mini performance for the big
performance. It would have to include some of the things we’ve
been doing in our ensembles and a question. Once we had it all
worked out we went to the main hall to practice with the other
groups. President Bell told us about the extra things that would be
in the performance. When the mums and dads were waiting
outside we got into our places...
“CODE RED! I REPEAT! CODE RED!”
We ran into the hall and get into line
“SPACESUIT! RIGHT ARM! LEFT ARM! RIGHT LEG! LEFT
LEG!”
“BOOTS! RIGHT LEG! LEFT LEG!”
“HELMET! ON! LOCK!”
“BOOSTER PACK! CLICK! CLICK! INITIATE OXYGEN!
SSSSSSSSSSS”
“GLOVES! RIGHT ARM! LEFT ARM!”
“CONNECT! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!” We sank down to the ground “READY
FOR EJECTION!”
We walked to our assigned places to sit. The ensembles
performed one after another the other until it was our turn. I was
so nervous.
We get into our Earth 2050 freeze-frames.
We get going towards the Planet Leo
We get into our Journey to Planet Leo freeze-frames.
When we get to Planet Leo we find out that it is an exact copy
of Planet Earth. Which means that it has exactly the same problem!
We get into our Leo 2050 freeze-frames. The other groups
mimic us.
We hand in our report but we have some bad news. We are
not actually the cadets from planet Earth but the cadets from
Planet Leo.
At the end we ask our question:
“How will we save planet earth?”
ISTA AND ME
By Matilde Wall, host school student
St Julian’s School, Portugal
Hello my name is Matilde Wall . I live
in Portugal. In a town called Estoril.
My road is Rua Dr Mário Quina, 12. I
am a student of St. Julian’s and I do
Tennis and Horse ridding as hobbies.
My favourite colour is Red and my
favourite food is lasagne.
I have got brown short hair and a
button nose. I am quite tall for my
age and have lots of freckles. And I have a dog and best
friend called Henry.
I had a great time at the ISTA festival and loved meeting people
from different countries. I had two Turkish girls staying in my house.
Their names were Defne and Doja. They were very nice and we
had lots of fun.
In ISTA my favourite activity was Red Nose Clowns because we
got to have a laugh and we learned to express ourselves.
The moment I most enjoyed was playing in the hall with all the
children. I learned a lot when we went to the Planetarium.
The whole experience taught me to not be shy and be more
confident. Also taught me to work together in a team. I learn to
respect other people’s ideas and contributions to the work.
I’ve learned that in Turkey, Istanbul is a beautiful City, full of
history and monuments.
I thought the teachers were good, fun and helpful, and I felt
that I was really in the middle of a real Academy.
This was the best school trip I have been involved with and I
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4| 19

eally felt part of a group. I would definitely join another ISTA festival
because it makes the whole school feel happier and livelier.
ISTA is the best. It’s fun and it’s funny.
EXCITEMENT,
FUN AND A
FANTASTIC
EXPERIENCE!
By Amelia Sedgwick, host school student
St Julian’s School, Portugal
My name is Amelia and I am 10 years
old and I love Drama – I go to Drama
classes with Ms Whitelaw every week
and that is why I signed up for ISTA. I
like sports and football is my
favourite. My favourite colour is
purple. I come from Birmingham in
England but have been living in
Portugal for 3 years. I love Portugal
because it is a lovely country to live in – you can see the
sea when you drive into school and the weather is
gorgeous. I have one sister who is 15 years old. I have 2
dogs and an evil budgie.
I was really excited all week – we had many meetings with Ms
Whitelaw and we eventually got the names of the children who
were going to come and stay with us. This was the most important
thing for all of us. My dad spoke to their mums. When we finished
school on the Thursday we all met in Ms Whitelaw’s room and got
changed ready to go up to the hall and start the festival. We were
all excited. We had chosen our workshops and knew who was
going to be in our group. It was really amazing as St Julian’s had
26 children in their group and all the visiting groups were just tiny!! I
got to know the people in my group very quickly and they were all
nice.
The ISTA leaders were such good fun – my leader was Officer
F – I liked the way we were given a mission and we knew we had
to complete it during the days of ISTA. After meeting everyone we
went home with our new friends. My 2 children were from Egypt –
they were called Tobelo and Cissie. I showed them around our
house and then we went to bed ready for the next few days
ahead.
We went on a tour day – which I thought was really nice
because our visitors had never been to Portugal before.
Unfortunately it was raining – luckily I had an umbrella. We went to
a monastery and the Discovery monument and the Space centre –
and also the pastry place where we were shown through the back
where they made these lovely pastries. They are really tasty and a
lot of the children bought them to take back home!!
When we went back to school we got back into our groups
and started our mission again. We were shown a different
mission and they told us we had to practice it for the play that
was at the end of the ISTA festival. I was the main person in our
play. It was about our team trying to destroy Aliens but then we
all guarded them and did not kill them.
I chose 2 workshops – Slow Motion and Drum Mania. We had
to learn to fall in slow motion and in Drum Mania we learnt different
African rhythms. On the last morning we rehearsed our mission
again to do the show, then it was SHOW TIME. It was great as lots
of mums and dads came to watch. I was crying when we had to
say good-bye to everyone. What a fantastic experience – I can’t
wait until next year
‘ABSOLUTELY
LOVED IT’
By Charlotte Smithson, host school student
St Julian’s School, Portugal
Hi my name is Charlotte Smithson I
am ten years old. My birthday is on
the 4th of November. I have five dogs,
three girls and two boys and they are
called Daisy, Tippy, Vodka, Snuphy
and Charlie. I have two brothers, they
are called Oliver and Jamie. Oliver is
fourteen and Jamie is seven. Oliver
lives in boarding school in England.
My mum is Maltese and my Dad is English. I am half
English and half Maltese. I live in Portugal and I was also
born in Portugal it is a grate place to live. My favourite
wild animals are Elephants. My favourite season of the
year is summer because I can go in the pool. This is
what I do after school on Monday I do rugby, on Tuesday
I do piano on Wednesday I do drama, on Thursday I do
tennis and on Friday I do nothing.
ISTA was great fun. We all met loads of new friends with
different nationalities. The trip to Lisbon was really cool. The people
I hosted were from Turkey; they were so awesome, they were
called Nazili and Su. I would go every year if I could. I went to ISTA
because I love drama and when I grow up I want to be an actress
so I went and I absolutely loved ISTA. We sometimes were with
everyone in a circle with all the people that went to ISTA and
sometimes we were in small groups. We learnt lots of things. When
they all arrived I was wondering how I was going to host but when
it was home time I did. They gave us Turkish presents. It was so
nice, I absolutely adored it and I am sure I will go again.
CLOWN RACES,
DRUMMING
RHYTHMS AND…
NO PORK!
Alexia Machado Marcolino, host school
student, St Julian’s School, Portugal
My name is Alexia Machado
Marcolino. I was born in the 28th of
September of 1999. I am 10 years old.
My hobbies are: dancing, singing,
Yoga, playing guitar and drama! My
favorite sports are riding bicycle and
basket ball. My favorite food is rice
with beans (a traditional food in Brasil
that we can eat with any other kind of
food), that I eat every single day or Italian food. My
favorite drink is Mango Ice Tea, or sometimes Grape
juice. I love the summer because it is so hot and I can
go and play with my friends at the swimming pool, I love
spring because of the beautiful flowers that grow and
make my garden beautiful, I love autumn because of the
dry leafs that fall on my head, and I love winter, because
20 | Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4

I stay cozy with my parents at one side. My favorite
teacher is Miss Whitelaw. That is because she gives us
sweeties if we are very good, what makes us want to be
good, and she is an excellent teacher because she is fair
to everyone. I love Miss Whitelaw!
On Thursday I was so excited that I couldn’t wait for the people
that I was hosting to arrive! I was so nervous all day at school. I
couldn’t wait for the end of the day! We all went up to the
secondary hall and watched all our visitors coming in. When
everyone had arrived we were put into squadrons. Mine was blah.
We practiced all our instructions – Blast off!!! Zero gravity!! Heavy
Gravity and Code Red!!!
At the end of the night my parents and my visitors went back to
my house. My mum had made pizzas for all of us BUT she didn’t
know that they had pork in them. Polen and Defne were muslim
and they came from Turkey – so of course they don’t eat pork. We
had a few giggles about this. We had great fun gossiping on the
bed in my room.
On the Friday the weather was not great – this was
disappointing as we were on a day out in Lisbon. Although I live in
Lisbon I have never actually visited it so well!! We went to Pasteis
de Belem, Jeronimos, Discoveries monument and the Planetarium.
The bit that I liked most was the pasties de Belem (I bought some
cakes for us all) and the Planetarium.
On the Saturday here are some of the activities that I did: I
loved doing the red nose clowns! The clown race was really cool
too. Officer Godfrey was really funny! I also did drumming rhythms;
on drums we had to do lots of types of rhythms. It was really cool
plus it is really fun! I wish that I had had the chance to do all the
workshops. Then we started doing the Patso de Gama and I was
the President!!! At the end of the day my mum and dad took us all
to the beach first then to a Brazilian restaurant where we told the
waiters not to bring any pork to the table but I really wanted to eat
pork. Unfortunately when it came to the table I felt so uncomfortable
as the girls were staring at me!!! So I couldn’t eat it!!
On Sunday we got into our groups and practiced for the final
performance. I wasn’t nervous – I really enjoyed it. My mum and
dad came to watch. Then it was time for Polen and Defne to go
back home. I was really sad. We exchanged our e-mails and
promised to keep in touch. What an excellent experience.
I will definitely go next year!
A CAS PROJECT
By Joana Fernandes, chaperone from host
school, St Julian’s School, Portugal
I was responsible for the group that came from Dusseldorf. My job
started when I went to the airport to pick them up. We came back
to school by bus, one hired by the school. My group was the first to
arrive and activities would only begin in some time so I walked
around the area with them, including a trip to the beach. The kids
really enjoyed it, especially because in the middle of so much rain in
Lisbon, that day was particularly pleasant and sunny. When the
activities began I wasn’t needed so much, only at dinnertime and
when we had to allocate the children in their host families. The next
day there were no activities, the whole group was going on a trip to
Belém, an area in Lisbon with several monuments and museums,
interesting and very much related to this year’s theme. The day was
quite exhausting especially because of the bad weather, however I
think all the children really enjoyed it, and the adults did too! The
other days of the festival I wasn’t needed anymore since everyone
already knew their way around school so I only participated in the
two first days, overall I worked in the festival for about 16 hours. I
really enjoyed being involved in this project since I really like working
with children and I love seeing their enthusiasm in participating and
in learning new things. It was really fun accompanying them on the
trip and also to help them learn a little about the Portuguese culture
and traditions. Overall I think the ISTA festival is a great project since
it brings so many kids from so many different cultures to meet, learn
and have fun together for something so important, not only in
children’s lives but in everyone’s life, that is the arts. I would
definitely get involved in a project like this again. It was such a
rewarding experience that I would surely repeat. Having the
sympathy and love of children that barely know you, like it
happened to me doesn’t happen everyday.
I got attached to those children even though I got to
stay with them for so little time.
A few moments from the festival
My name is Joana Fernandes, I’m 17
years old and I’m Portuguese. I live in
Lisbon with my parents, my older
sister who is 20 and my younger
brother who is 11. I study at St.
Julian’s since I’m 6 and currently I’m
in year 12 of the IB. I intend to study
in London design for advertisement
and one of my passions is Ballet.
For the IB we are to complete a CAS project. CAS stands for
creativity, activity and service. This means that over the two years of
the programme we have to complete 50 hours of each of the three
activities. So I joined the ISTA festival to get some service hours
since this was the activity where I was lacking more hours. I had
never participated in an ISTA festival, however I roughly knew what
it was about. I knew that it involved several activities related to the
arts (drama, music, etc). In this festival I was a chaperone, this
meant that I would have a group allocated to me and I would
accompany and help this group throughout the festival, in this case
Scene | 2009-10 June Issue 4| 21

Festivals 2010/11
HIGH SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
EUROPE
Istanbul, Turkey – October 21-24 2010
Istanbul International Community School
Buildings have eyes
Calderdale, UK – October 28-31 2010
Calderdale Youth Theatre in collaboration with Calder High School
The Bridge
Hamburg, Germany – February 3-6 2011
International School Hamburg
… And all that jazz
Munich, Germany – February 10-13 2011
Munich International School
While these visions did appear
Vienna, Austria – February 17-20 2011
Vienna International School
Opera and upwards
Cairo, Egypt – March 17-19 2011
Cairo American College
The underground city
ASIA PACIFIC
Tashkent, Uzbekistan – January 28-30 2011
International School of Tashkent
The unlikely light of inspiration
MIDDLE EAST
Oman, Sultanate of Oman – April 14-16 2011
American British Academy of Oman
A kingdom for a stage
Text to come
Istanbul, Turkey – April 1-3 2011
Eyuboglu High School
Head to the hills!
Moscow, Russia – April 28-30 2011
Anglo American School of Moscow
The magic ‘if’
Cornwall, UK – May 13-15 2011
ISTA/The Eden Project
Positive futures
ASIA PACIFIC
Manila, The Philippines – November 19-21 2010
International School Manila
And the beat goes on…
Shanghai, China – February 25-27 2011
Dulwich College
Noodle makers and skyscrapers
Perth, Australia – March 4-6 2011
Hale School
Beneath the night sky
PRIMARY SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
EUROPE
Porthleven, Cornwall, UK – March 24-26 2011
ISTA
Porth ha’n mor
Copenhagen, Denmark – May 5-8 2011
Copenhagen International School
The little mermaid
MIDDLE SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
EUROPE
The Hague, the Netherlands – October 7-10 2010
American School of the Hague
The silent prince
Geneva, Switzerland – January 27-30 2011
International School of Geneva, La Chataigneraie
No strings attached
Rome, Italy – March 17-20 2011
Marymount International School
Monsters, myths and magic
REGIONAL FESTIVAL EUROPE
Porthleven, Cornwall, UK – July 28-30 2010
ISTA
For young people in Helston and the Lizard
MIDDLE SCHOOL ASIA PACIFIC BONSAI
Bangkok, Thailand – March 11-13 2011
Regent’s School Bangkok
For international schools in Bangkok
www.ista.co.uk