b'THE ELLESMERIAN Middle School Production - DNA by Dennis Kelly 69Students from Years 9 and 10 worked hard during Senior Drama Club sessions to put on the challenging piece of work DNA by award winning playwright Dennis Kelly, exploring the themes of teenage violence, bullying, morality, and responsibility. The play follows a group of teenagers who accidentally kill one of their classmates and try to cover up the crime, but end up implicating an innocent man. The play also questions whether these behaviours are innate or learned and how they affect society and the individuals. A challenging script, the cast approached the material with maturity and a passion to tell the story of this collection of disaffected young people who find themselves fused by this criminal act. Challenging material and complex characters were taken on with a genuine desire to present Kellys material in a creative way, combining media and more traditional set design ideas. Well done to all those students from Years 9 and 10 involved in this years Middle School Play.Lower School ProductionAnnie Jnr. The MusicalAn enthusiastic cast made up of 38 Year 7 and 8 students worked collaboratively from January to June on the Junior version of this much loved musical. With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyones hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigans evil machinations, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace, and a lovable mutt called Sandy. A collaboration of enthusiasm, energetic choreography, and a passion for performance, the cast thoroughly enjoyed performing Annie over two evenings to parents, family, and friends. Years 3 to 6 were also delighted to watch the dress rehearsal. Well done to all students involved!RLS'