Year Six students at St Bede’s Primary School treated their families, teachers, fellow students and guests to a performance of ‘the Fire Stone’ this Thursday morning. Adapted from a Japanese folk tale recorded by Kenji Mizawa by Jane Ahlquist, a local performer, the tale follows a hare who receives a magical stone for an act of self-sacrifice over the course of six days, as his reward is corrupted. Ms Ahlquist, who has been working with the students throughout the year to develop their performance says she was attracted to the story by its “sinewy moral fibre,” which she thought was perfect for eleven year olds.
Students said they had, “learnt to be a lot more confident in doing drama and not to care what other people think” and that they had enjoyed Ms Ahlquist’s teaching because it was “learning in a fun way.”
The writing and production of ‘the Fire Stone’, which was woven into the students’ Asian Studies program, was funded by various members of the community, including: Trish McPherson, Fiona Putra Jaya, Robyn Goodwin, Jennie and David Sutherland, Gert and Bente Jensen, Nicola and Greg Gilbert, Elizabeth Hannaford, Virginia Hooker and the Braidwood Lions Club.
