The Production

The Wedding Singer

What an amazing year it has been for the 2024 production cast and crew of The Wedding Singer!

Our journey began on Day 1 of Term 2 when the cast was announced. We received our scripts, and it was go-time. Students sacrificed countless hours after school, during lunchtimes, holidays, and weekends.

We tried hard, but it was nearly impossible to beat Jenna Charman in the warm-up games—she would occasionally drop a round, but rarely! These sessions gave us a solid foundation, allowing us to focus and develop our characters.

For months, we constantly quoted lines from the show, finishing each other's sentences with lines like, "It’s all about the green" and "You had a bunion...". We sang songs together, even the ones that weren’t ours, like "Today You Are a Man," "Come Out of the Dumpster," and "Saturday Night in the City."

As we entered production week, we felt a mixture of excitement and disbelief—it had taken a lifetime to reach this point, yet somehow, it also felt like no time at all.

On Saturday, we bumped in the show with our crew of "Ninjas" who had to learn how to bring it all together. Savannah led the cast through their final steps to each song. 

On Monday, we ran through it all on stage with the sets and cast, and by Wednesday, our costume, hair, and make-up teams joined to manage the change rooms and support the talent. The magic of theatre truly came to life, with students coordinating countless costumes, prop changes, moving sets, and transformations in hair and makeup, requiring intense focus and perfect timing.

Now to the cast. In the beginning, we made a few role adjustments to help each student bring out the best in their character. This is part of all productions, as everyone learns the ropes of their roles. This year’s production was larger in scale than anything we've done recently, with over 100 pages of script for students to memorize, along with staging, props, songs, dance moves, bouquet tossing, cake cutting, dumpster-throwing, bar mitzvah scenes, guitar strumming, Linda-shaming, and much more.

The journey created unforgettable memories, from singing backstage before the show to belting out numbers on stage, and even memorable moments like Nathan’s fall during the first scene. Roger Kennett also managed to dislocate a couple of fingers on the second night after tripping over a set piece in the dark.

The costumes were wildly different from our usual wear, and the friendships formed throughout this experience will last a lifetime. Thank you to each cast member for your time and commitment—without a cast willing to go the distance, there is no show.

Special thanks to our incredible crew, with a particular mention of our departing students: Mel Gardiner, Morgan Rudd, and Danielle Knight. Mel not only stage-managed the show but also filled in for Roger in his absence, impressing professional staff with her ability to handle the dual roles under the pressure of live theatre. Morgan, a steadfast contributor since our first production, will be dearly missed. Danielle elevated her role this year, ensuring every artistic detail looked amazing and overseeing the front-of-house technical team.

We were extremely fortunate to have the talented support of our staff: Jo Porter, for her detailed eye and skill in sourcing '80s memorabilia from thrift stores; Savannah Edwards (2021 school captain), who provided hours of choreography and professional guidance, showing patience with students new to dancing; Roger Kennett, whose set design and construction included a half-cut DeLorean with functioning lights and wheels, a labour of love that added invaluable memories to the students' experience. Glenn Hayes, who spent hours working on students' vocal abilities, supporting me with 80s references, and always ideating alongside me; and Tina Gartlan, for her countless hours behind the scenes, from rehearsals to character development, set, and prop work.

Keep an eye out for auditions for 2025’s production and come on a journey with us to create more unforgettable memories and friendships. 

-Mr Hunter