Student Voice

Productions!

For most students in the school this is their first performance on a stage.  The Foundation students have been able to create characters out of Fairytales, Year 1 buzzing bees.  

By Year 2 students are learning about more fleshed-out characters in Winnie the Pooh and by Year 3/4 Zoo creatures in Madagascar.  I am so proud of each student in the school who has had the confidence to get up on the stage and perform in front of an audience.  

This year we have used two different venues, South Oakleigh Secondary College Theatre for the year 2’s and 3/4's and our School Gym.  We have bought new sound and lighting equipment to improve our facilities.  We used 15 headsets as well as 4 microphones with our 2 new lighting rigs.  

Productions are wonderful at building skills in a variety of areas not just for the stage.  Many students find that the theatre helps them develop confidence and they learn how to speak clearly and thoughtfully.  You have to problem solve, working out if someone forgets a line and use improvisation. 

Taking pride in your achievements for some students it is difficult to come onto the stage, but it should be celebrated that they are standing there.  There is a huge commitment and motivation that comes from doing a production this helps the students have a positive attitude to difficult tasks.  Working together as a team, showing good behaviour, and using a “we can” attitude helps create team spirt. 

The theatre allows students to work independently to create characters, learn lines, songs, and dances.  Students have had to learn about being prompts and respecting dealings, needing to learn lines, and come to rehearsals on time to improve or know what to do on the stage.   Each performer has had to learn to respect each other to create successful performance.  

They have had to adapt and be flexible with new concepts and ideas as well as dealing with time management.  The audition process gave students the ability to accept disappointment and the ability to bounce back. Using concentration, is one of the hardest things to do on stage but is one that every student has had to become more focused on.  Students have had to become leaders, showing respect for each other and gain new friendships.  

Hopefully each and every student has had fun and enjoyed the performances.  I can not wait to see how they grow in the coming years in the next school production.  

I would like to make a huge thankyou to all the staff, ES teachers, student teachers the leadership team.  This was a massive endeavour, and they have all put in a lot of hours to make each show look amazing.  Thankyou also to the parents who provided the school with sets, props and costumes.

We look forward to next years 5/6 Production.    

Lucy Greco

Performing Arts