Schools on Stage

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).

Jesus Christ Superstar

The senior students of Scotch College Adelaide have taken on a substantial musical theatre challenge this year. Not content with simply studying Jesus Christ Superstar as part of their theatre education, they have selected the rock opera to perform as a school production. Lesley Reed reports.

Urinetown The Musical

Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann. Book and Lyrics by: Greg Kotis. Rosny College. Rosny College Theatre, Tasmania. Director: Darren Sangwell. 21 – 30 May 2015

Producing Urinetownthe Musicalmust have been a gift for director Darren Sangwell. College musicals provide an ever-renewable resource of talented performers of the same age cohort, with energy to burn and talent to spare. Teacher Sangwell had an enjoyable job shepherding this crew through a wonderful production.

Annie

Book: Thomas Meehan. Music: Charles Strouse. Lyrics: Martin Charnin. Coomera Anglican College, Gold Coast.Director: Kirsty Terry. 30thApril – 2ndMay, 2015.

I have seen countless professional and community productions of Annie, I have even directed it, so I went along to see this presentation expecting just another version. Boy! Was I wrong! This was possibly the best offering I have experienced!