27 Mar 2015
Midway through first term, one of Australia's well-known actors, Kate Mulvany, visited the school with another actor Zindzi Okenyo, who is currently on Play School. Kate has starred in many television shows including Blue Heelers, Underbelly and the Chaser's War on Everything and in movies such as The Great Gatsby. Kate is also an accomplished playwright and her adaptation of the children's book Masquerade by Kit Williams, was a stand out play at this year's Sydney Festival in January.
As a child, Kate spent many months in the oncology ward at a Perth hospital. Her godmother gave her the book Masquerade and this book transported Kate out of the hospital ward into the imaginary world of Tara Treetops, Jack Hare and the hidden jewelled amulet. Zindzi played the role of Tara Treetops in the play as well of a couple of other characters.
Many years later, Kate wanted to write a play based upon the book of her childhood. Before she could, she had to seek permission from the author. But to discover where the elusive Kit Williams was, resulted in a long search that took Kate to the other side of the world to Gloucestershire in England. Kit Williams was delighted that Kate wanted to adapt his children's book into a play and persuaded her to include her own story of a young girl in hospital with cancer into the play. The result was a fantastic play that ran for two weeks in Sydney at the Opera House and will be staged in Adelaide in April.
When Kate visited our school, the primary and high school classes combined and Kate recounted how she had been inspired to write the play and explained how it had been staged with actors, musicians and a great stage set. She and Zindzi went through the puzzle in the play and taught the students one of the songs from the play.
Kate then went up to the oncology ward and met one of the primary students, Zoe from Year 1. Kate had brought a copy of the book Masquerade which had been signed by the author Kit Williams, and presented it to Zoe. She then spent the morning on the ward and read to Zoe and her big sister Holly, who was allowed to have a day off school, especially to meet Kate and Zindzi.
Thank You Kate and Zindzi for visiting us - it was a great morning!