Schools on Stage

Brainstorming and Creating for 40 Years

Now, more than ever, educators are searching for ways to engage their students in meaningful conversations around issues like mental health, bullying and online relationships. Live theatre is the perfect vehicle for stimulating discussions around these complex and often sensitive topics.

For 40 years in-school performances by Brainstorm Productions have been both delighting young audiences and empowering them to make positive changes.

Aussie Students Win International Junior Theatre Festival Award

Photo credit: Rachael Monteleone

The Aussie All-Stars performance group, composed of students who had auditioned from towns across Australia, received a top youth theatre award at the USA Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta. The fifty-three Aussie students, aged eleven to eighteen, won the Freddie G Inspiration Award (named after Music Theatre International Co-Chairman, Freddie Gershon), an accolade for their outstanding performance,

HSC Plays at ACA

Image: Twelfth Night. Photographer: Clare Hawley.

Actors Centre Australia has established a new education arm that will present four plays in its inaugural year at the company’s own theatre at Leichardt, in inner-western Sydney.

“We are thrilled to welcome HSC students for an immersive experience, exploring the challenging works that form part of their HSC English Curriculum,” said the ACA’s Head of Acting Adam Cook. 

Mother Courage and Her Children

By Bertolt Brecht and Tony Kushner. Directed by Armani Newton-Lowe, Keira Lilly, Tahlia Padayachee, David Phillips, Annabelle Turner, Tyler Hewitt and Hannah Cooke. Willeton Senior High School, WA. Apr4-5, 2023

Willetton Senior High School’s annual Dinner Theatre is a tradition that showcases the talents of their Year 12 Drama Students and the Year 12 (and 11) Cooking and Hospitality Students. While Brecht is rather an unconventional choice for a dinner theatre, the experience was clearly enjoyed by the audience.

School Performing Arts Resource Kit 2023

The 2023 Stage Whispers School Performing Arts Resource Kit - SPARK - is out now.

The 120 page free on-line magazine includes features on shows suitable for attendance by school students alongside a comprehensive state by state directory.

A major part of the publication comprises features to assist school teachers in choosing a play or musical to perform, features on costume, props and seating, recommendations for Sound, Lighting and Special FX, study resources and training.

Young Australians Have Musical Theatre Experience of a Lifetime

75 lucky young Australians aged between 12 and 18 were chosen to take part in the ‘Super Bowl’ of musical theatre, the Junior Theatre Festival thanks to thanks to Travel Gang and Music Theatre International (Australasia).

Creating the Magic - The 2022 Schools Spectacular

On the 25th and 26th November, four thousand and seven hundred (4,700!) talented arts students from over 200 state schools right across NSW hit the stage to create the magic of  that was the 2022 Schools Spectacular at QDOS Arena. It was an “Extraordinary Magic” that took the audience on a music, dance, acrobatics, puppetry and musical theatre journey that was, in the words of the incredible Mary Poppins Tribute, that concluded the first act, simply … Supercalifragilisticexpialidoious!

Mamma Mia!

By Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Catherine Johnson. St Hilda 's Anglican School. Directed by Sharon Kiely. Joy Shepherd Performing Arts Centre, St Hilda 's Anglican School for Girls, Mosman Park, WA. June 16-17, 2023

St Hilda 's Mamma Mia! was a strong, colourful show, that delighted audiences through its short season. Well directed and performed with excellent production values, it was a worthy showcase of the talents of St Hilda 's students.

The Broadway Junior Shows of Stephen Schwartz

The celebrated composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz has created some of the most beloved musicals of recent times, including

Les Misérables - School Edition

By Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. Directed by Tyler Jones. Judith Cottier Theatre, Perth College, Mt Lawley. Mar 22-25, 2023

Perth College’s Les Misérables - School Edition is an epic production, with around 85 on-stage performers, a large orchestra, with excellent sets and costumes, which is performed with polish, precision and passion.