Schools on Stage

Legally Blonde -The Musical

Music and Lyrics by Lawrence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. Book by Heather Hach. Directed by Brendan Carroll. The Peninsula School. Frankston Arts Centre (Vic). May 19th –May 21st, 2016

When I reviewed PLOS’ stupendous ground-breaking production of this show last year, I was convinced I would never enjoy Legally Blonde again. I was wrong!

School’s Innovative, Inclusive Location Theatre

How to make your school/venue the ultimate walk around set AND save money AND blow everyone away AND how to write a play for 150 people. Drama teacher Donna Prince shares her secrets.

Les Misérables – School Edition

Music: Claude-Michel Schonberg. Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer. Original French Text: Alain Boublil & Jean Marc Natel. Based on the novel by Victor Hugo. Director: Joanna Pearson. Musical Director: Shane Tooley.

Downlands College, Toowoomba, 28-30 April 2016

Grease

Cherrybrook Technology High School (NSW).

March 2016.

Any drama or music teacher will attest that a school production means participation and involvement across the school – students, teachers, support staff and parents.  It involves inordinate co-ordination from accessing funds to writing permission notes to parents to seemingly mundane tasks like covering the classes of the teaching ‘crew’ during production week (as you’ve probably guessed, there speaks the voice of experience!).

2016 School Performing Arts Resource Kit

Stage Whispers is launching its 2016 School Performing Arts Resource Kit - SPARK - a free on-line magazine with a guide to putting on a show and attending school oriented productions.

Click here to read the 90 page magazine www.stagewhispers.com.au/spark

It has feature articles on making costumes, sound and lighting, finding a musical or play to stage and training.

There is also a state by stage guide to shows for schools, both excursion and incursion.

Superheroes Entertain Students

NIDA graduate Marko Jovanovic is one of the new breed of actors making a living from entertaining and educating school students.

“My favourite type of theatre is performing these solo shows in front of kids. They are the toughest audience. They don’t hide their boredom,” he said.

Jovanovic is touring his latest one man show The Amber Amulet (by Craig Silvey) to schools in Western Australia from 1 August to the 26th and New South Wales from May 2 to June 4 this year.

A New Path to the Stage

Coral Drouyn examines the new AMEB initiative for Music Theatre which is available now.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Scotch College Student Production

Fisher Chapel, Scotch College, Adelaide

July 29-August 1, 2015

Popstars! The 90’s Musical

By Neil Gooding and Nicholas Christo

St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe QLD

Popstars! was staged for the first time this year at nearly 20 schools across Australia and New Zealand. It is a celebration of the great decade of the 90’s driven by a soundtrack by artists such as The Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, N Sync, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, MC Hammer and many more.

It’s a battle of ‘Boyband v Girlband’ to win the state talent show.

The Importance of Being Earnest

By Oscar Wilde. Directed by Kristen Twynam-Perkins. Helena College (WA). June 18-20 2015

A very ambitious project for a Year 11 Drama class, Helena College's production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest featured every member of the class.

Designed and set with a 1950s Mad Men influence, the students thrived on the challenge and the show was beautifully received.

Noah Watkins and Stefan Brown worked very nicely together as Algernon and Jack respectively, showing wonderful charm and wit (although perhaps a little too pacy in Act One).