What Short Form means to us

Short Form is an annual production of mini-plays, each entirely student-produced, written, directed, and performed. These displays of student creativity are often no more than ten minutes long, but when the season comes around, they sure get UWCSEA Dover's High School buzzing every September.

“The casual but much welcomed breaking of the fourth wall as the community on either side of the stage lights sees one another, this is what gives Short Form its life.“

The Production

Short Form 2022 this year, saw eight chamber pieces, each with its own flavour. “Bunda Burglars” revels in pure scandalous humour, building up to not just one, but two impressive plot twists in its short timespan. It also makes excellent use of projection and lighting as production elements. “Ghosted” and “The Therapy Session” both pull off engaging performances with a highly condensed cast of three actors. In fact, “Ghosted” only has three people as its entire team, as two actors also dubbed as directors and writers, so it is even more impressive to watch as it accomplishes with almost professional ease tricky elements such as characterisation, staging, and even a little bit of world-building. Similarly, by triumphing in writing hilariously Breakfast Club-like characters, “The Speedo Swindler” creatively weaves its entire premise around the disappearance of a pair of speedos, all the while poking fun at Dover Campus’s senior tradition of the graduation trip to Koh Samui. Actors really get to shine in “Dinner with the Roberts”, an outrageously funny story that requires as much passion to perform as to notice every detail happening on stage sitting in the audience.

For me, as a constant reviewer of Theatre at UWCSEA, Short Form is distinguished from other plays by the freedom it gives students, something that shines through easily. It allows us to make a parody of our own experiences as UWCSEA students, satirise and dramatise our at times challenging lives to recognise through laughter, we are not in this alone. References to the infamous TOK IA, the casual but much welcomed breaking of the fourth wall as the community on either side of the stage lights see one another, this is what gives Short Form its life.

The Experiences

Short Form may not be the most polished production, but trust that no one would give up in exchange for its rough edges brimming with student energy – least of all those involved. I asked this year’s cast how they would describe their Short Form experience with one word.

“Community”, “Connection”, “Rewarding”, “Worthwhile”, “Sentimental”, “Nostalgic”, or simply “Wonderful” – are but a few of the many responses. Summer, the director, situated Short Form positively as “a great way to start the new year”.

A scene captured during the play

Clemy, a Grade 12 getting involved for the first time, shares:

Even though I was only in Short Form once, I felt emotional when we ended and will really miss it when I graduate… the friends you make really stick.” Short Form veterans share this feeling.

Leon, a veteran actor who wrote and directed his own play for the first time this year, says:

(The experience has been) awesome, and continuing
the community and the traditions which shape Short Form was really special. I hope future years get to experience all the joy that I have.

This annual theatre production showcases an entirely student-made programme of original short plays.

As I close, allow me a final, perhaps irrelevant, observation. Funnily enough, there seemed to be certain constant themes which ran through this year’s Short Form plays, even though they were not intentionally related. Therapy, life after death, and dysfunctional relationship dynamics nevertheless bolstered by love – these themes resounded on stage for an hour and a half. Am I overstating Short Form by putting forward the thesis that it can serve as a reflection of undercurrents running through the collective High School psyche? Perhaps. But the answer will really be for you to find out when next September rolls around.

Drama at UWCSEA allows students to develop skills of presentation, collaboration, communication and creative problem solving. These skills are transferable to other areas while also being essentially important in the study of Drama itself. Every student has a unique voice and Drama helps to bring out the best expression of that voice. Find out more about our Learning Programme here.