Schools on Stage

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!

Beauty and the Beast

By Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Linda Woolverton. Guilford Young College, Tasmania. Allan Jeffrey (Direction). Leiz Moore (Choreography). Andrew Castles (Musical direction). Allan Jeffrey and Leiz Moore (Set design). Helen Cronin (Costume and props Coordinator). Matthew Andrewartha (Lighting design). Don Bosco Creative Arts Centre. 18-20 August 2022

Anticipating who might audition in the year preceding the staging of a school show must be a risky business. Yet somehow, the perfect cast materialised for Guilford Young College.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

By Bertolt Brecht. Willetton Senior High School, WA. Directed by Blake Davies, Chloe Russell, Dionne Sebastian, Ishika Kharola, Jazlyn Skinner, Jemma Roach, Jemma Walker and Kelsie Downey. Willieton Senior High School, Performing Arts Centre. Aug 11-12, 2022

Willetton Senior High School’s Year 12 production is exciting for many reasons. Not only is the production completely directed and designed by the students (who also selected the production), it is a Dinner Theatre, beautifully catered by Year 12 Certificate II Hospitality Students.

Anastasia

Book by Terrence McNally. Music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Perth College. Directed by Tyler Jones. Judith Cottier Theatre, Perth College, Mt Lawley, WA. Aug 3-6, 2022

The Western Australian Premiere of Anastasia The Musical was a lavishly presented and beautifully produced by Perth College. Featuring a cast of around 90, a large student and community orchestra and excellent production values - this show was brought to life with enthusiasm and energy.

Bye Bye Birdie

Music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams Book by Michael Stewart. Scotch College. Scotch College Auditorium, Torrens Park SA,  July  28 – Aug 6, 2022

Bye Bye Birdie comes from the golden age of musicals; the 1930s through to the early 1950s. It is loosely based on the drafting of Elvis Presley into the US army. It features a teen dominated cast and so it’s a perfect choice for Scotch College, well known for presenting quality musicals featuring a school aged cast.

Junior Theatre Festival Scholarship

Stage Whispers is teaming up with the Junior Theatre Festival Australia to offer two teachers a free trip to the gala event at the Civic Theatre Newcastle this October.  

This year's star-studded Junior Theatre Festival Australia, which invites students and teachers from schools and educational musical theatre groups representing NSW, Qld, Vic, SA, WA and New Zealand to participate, will now be welcoming teachers, directors and educators from across the country.

Back to The 80s

Written by Neil Gooding. By arrangement with David Spicer Productions. Additional material by Stuart Smith. Revised orchestrations and arrangements by Brett Foster. Directors: Allysha Hodges, Leanne Broadley. Xavier Catholic College, Ballina. June 24 - 26, 2022

Xavier Catholic College’s Back to The 80s is a big, vibrant production, bursting with energy and enthusiasm.

Into the Woods

By Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. Mandurah Baptist College. Directed by Rp Van Der Westhuizen. The Lakes Theatre, Mandurah Baptist College, WA. June 17-24, 2022

Chicago

Book by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb. Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Rosny College at Hobart College Auditorium. Darren Sangwell (Director) Andrew Castles (Musical Director) Suze Quinn (Vocal Director). Hannah Marmion (Choreography) Costume Coordinator (Soren Steven). 8-11 June 2022

Not every cast member had been “singing and dancing since the age of two” but an awful lot have. This is one of the many reasons for which one can expect much of a Rosny College show. There are others.

It’s A Hard Knock Life

Image: Rehearsal for Pulse Alive. Photofrapher: Anna Warr.

In her latest Behind the Scenes column, Debora Krizak looks at how tough the pandemic has been on school performing arts.

Cancelled. For most, this means a simple disruption to the social calendar. Throughout the pandemic, most of my friends continued to work from home. For those of us working in The Arts, putting on a show from home just doesn’t pay the bills.