Schools on Stage

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.

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.

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).

Puffs

By Matt Cox. Willetton Senior High School. Directed by Stefan Brand. Willetton SHS Auditorium, WA. December 8 & 9, 2022

Puffs, the story of “the other kids” at a certain school for witches and wizards, is a fun story of embracing the outcast within, and is presented with great teamwork and excellent enthusiasm by Willetton Senior High School’s Year 10 Drama Students. Playing multiple characters and embracing the art of group storytelling, this is a well-acted production that is fun for both cast and audience.

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.