The Show Must Go On

Plenty Campus Music Showcase 

Emma Last, Year 10, Plenty Campus 

After a turbulent 2020 and the devastating cancellation of the Plenty Campus production of ‘Matilda the Musical’, the Plenty Campus Music Showcase has been described by Ms Rowe as 'a much-needed tonic for the spirit and chicken soup for the soul'.  

The cast of ‘Matilda the Musical’ worked tirelessly for the first few months of 2020 and even finalised the show, ready to take it to the stage at the Plenty Ranges Performing Arts Centre.  When the lockdown hit in March, fear, frustration and uncertainty flooded everybody. The cast were left not knowing whether they would get the chance to perform the show they had been working so long and hard for. 

Unfortunately, there was no other choice but to postpone our show until it was safe to perform. Of course, the cast was crushed…but we kept our heads up and went into months of online learning at home. 

Finally, 2021 rolled around and the cast came back to school ready to continue our production. However, due to being unable to go ahead with ‘Matilda the Musical’, the directors announced a new idea; ‘The Plenty Campus Music Showcase’. This showcase would be a collection of musical numbers from various shows unlike any other musical/production the School had seen, and soon we were all ready to begin rehearsing again. 

The Music Showcase contained songs from ‘Something Rotten’, ‘Matilda’, ‘Rent’, ‘Wicked’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Rock of Ages’ and much more. We rehearsed for 12 weeks, with rehearsals three times each week. The dedication shown by the cast of 52 students was amazing! The Music Showcase gave students from each year level a chance to show off their musical talent. The success of The Music Showcase was based on our immense level of hard work which definitely paid off, and the awesome teachers behind it; Mr Callegari, Mr Chappel, Mr Lauber, Mr Scarlett, Charlie and many other helpers and FOPPA who pitched in to create an unforgettable experience. 

Soon enough, the cast began holiday rehearsals, the beginning of two weeks of intensive and extensive rehearsals. The cast continued to stay dedicated, foster new strengths and build our show further. Two weeks of intensive rehearsals later, and we had a show!  

The incredible back-stage crew, sound and lighting crew bumped in and set up an amazing stage for us to perform in the Gym. I must admit, it was weird to see our basketball court transformed for the first time. Seriously, the level of professionalism was bizarre. We began with a matinee performance to the primary students on Thursday 22 April, which made for an amazing audience. Laughter and cheer filled the gymnasium, bringing a few tears to our eyes. It was a great way to prepare us for the following two shows. Later that same night, we had our second show in front of an audience. The energy on stage flooded into the audience when everyone stood up to join in The Time Warp! On Friday 23 April, we shared our show with a full audience for the last time. Our pre-show ritual focus games involved more teary eyes.  

Finally, the final bows came. I personally cannot put into words the level of joy and sadness I felt simultaneously. It was a confusing feeling. We had worked so incredibly hard to put this show together, and suddenly it was over…but the overwhelming feedback we received from parents, teachers and other audience members put our hard work into perspective. After the year of turbulence that was 2020, I couldn’t be prouder of our cast, crew and teachers involved.

Raise the Curtain

Lucy Schaefer, Year 11, The Ridgeway Campus

The lack of a 2021 musical, due to COVID-19, was a major loss for many students at Ivanhoe Grammar School. Whether you find yourself in a lead role or a member of the ensemble, helping out backstage with props or learning the production process of sound, the musical is an environment where many students exert creative energy and thrive. 

There is a certain type of camaraderie and friendship that blooms across all year levels throughout the experience that you don’t commonly find. Not being able to experience such an affair in 2020 was truly heartbreaking for many students, including myself. I found it absolutely necessary that something new needed to be developed in order to fill the hole that its absence left. 

Thus, (with the wonderful help of Christian Arnel), Raise the Curtain was born. Inspired by the structure of a cabaret evening, Raise the Curtain showcased a number of different musical items from Year 7 to Year 12 students. Consisting of solos, duos, trios and small groups, the performances ranged from modern-day shows to traditional musicals. Raise the Curtain was exactly what it sounds like, it ignited the performing arts flame that had been dampened by the year that was 2020. 

The cabaret evening of musical theatre was presented on Monday 24 May. It was a fantastic night showcasing old favourites, together with current hits from the repertoire of modern-Musicals; all interpreted and presented with terrific imagination and enthusiasm.