Schools on Stage

Arts Centre Melbourne Launches 2013 Education Program

It’s wearing, particularly as a Drama teacher, to listen to an Education Minister talk about ‘The Arts’ in an all encompassing way that infers a limited understanding of Theatre, Dance, live performance or performance making.  However that was only a small part of this launch and surely State Education Minister Martin Dixon’s presence is a sign of the Government’s endorsement of the rich and interesting Education Program that Arts Centre Melbourne have been strengthening and enhancing under the strong and vibrant leadership of Judith Isherwood.

Cats at Oakhill College (NSW)

Oakhill College – all boys in Year 7 – 10 and co-ed in Years 11 & 12, is a College with a strong reputation and history of performance work with productions of two plays per year and a musical, alternating between a major full school musical and a junior musical. 2012 saw the Performing Arts Faculty wanting to challenge and excite the student body with a different sort of production. Cats was a perfect choice!

Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Awards Junior Section Winners 2012

Winners of the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Awards for 2012 were announced at the Costa Hall, Geelong on December 8.

Winners of Bruce Awards for Excellence in the Junior Section of the 26th Annual Awards are listed below.

Image: Kim Anderson (award-winning Director) surrounded by the cast of Barnum, St Leonard’s College's Junior Production of the Year

 

 

The Awards

Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Junior Section Nominations 2012

Nominations for the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Awards for 2012 have been announced. Winners will be announced at the 26th Annual Awards Night, to be held at Costa Hall, Geelong on December 8 at 8pm.

 

Winners now listed.

 

 

 

Nominations for the Junior Section are:

Junior Production of the Year

Chicago, Ivanhoe Grammar School – Ridgeway Campus

Fame

Conceived and Developed by David De Silva after a book by Jose Fernandez. Lyrics by Jacques Levy, Music by Steve Margoshes. Title Song ‘Fame’ by Dran Pitchford and Michael Gore. Lilydale High School. (Vic). Director: Jackie Goode. Producers: Jackie Goode and Amy Cumming. Music Director: Amy Cumming. Choreography: Halley Metcalfe. August 24-26, 2012.

Sweet Charity

Book: Neil Simon. Lyrics: Dorothy Field. Music: Cy Coleman. Ringwood Secondary College (Vic). Director: Benjamin Moody. Producer: Michael Phillips. Musical Director: Victoria Wyatt. August 9 - 18, 2012.

You’ve got to love a show that inspires teenage boys to dance. And dancing is certainly a feature of Ringwood Secondary College’s Sweet Charity, from formal suits, hats and canes, to hippie groove-moves, and marching band. Not to take anything away from the girls, who sizzled in the dance hall scenes.

Les Misérables

Scotch College, Adelaide. July 25 - 28, 2012.

The Book of Everything

ST STEPHEN’S School in Duncraig (WA) goes Dutch from August 8 with The Book of Everything.

Adapted by Richard Tulloch from Guus Kuijer’s children’s novel, the play centres on nine-year-old Thomas who makes a record of everything he sees and experiences in the real and spiritual world.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEATRE.

Do you have trouble getting young people interested in the performing arts? Are they spending all their time on Facebook? The Queensland Arts Council has come up with a solution. It’s a touring a play called The Social Me - all about the pitfalls of Facebook. It’s written and directed by Brad Jennings and Steven Maxwell, and produced by Markwell Presents Cinematic Theatre Company.

Stage Whispers: What is Cinematic Theatre?

A Taste of Broadway for Teachers and Students.

Charles Slucki  from Theatrica has a job many show business tragics would kill for. Each year he leads teachers and students on a backstage and front stage tour of Broadway and the West End. Meeting stars is part of the fun.

How long have you been running these tours?