Students at Logan Park High School are encouraged to explore, watch, research and interpret an array of genres within the realms of theatre.

Verbatim (as both a theatre form and play/production) is no different. A group of Year 12 students have been working very closely with this genre and have identified its worth. Verbatim style theatre uses the real words from interviewees to construct a play which is about their real life experiences. In this way they seek to achieve a degree of authority akin to that represented by the news.

In particular, the play of the same title has been the text explored. Verbatim by William Brandt and Miranda Harcourt (and Portraits by Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt) were developed through interviews with violent offenders, their families, and their victim’s families. The plays are a form of docu-drama, where the truth cannot be hidden because the words are not embellished.

Last Tapes Theatre Company and justice reform group JustSpeak were proud to present Verbatim in an exclusive one off performance to our students here at Logan. Students waited in anticipation for the performance and were not disappointed. Students were encouraged to ask questions and discuss aspects after the performance in their exclusive forum.