Performing Arts
Communicating with the Specialist Team
We look forward to partnering with you in 2023, and welcome your input:
Penelope Lang (Performing Arts) penelope.lang@education.vic.gov.au
Wominjeka!
Upwey South's Got Talent
Our Performing Arts Captains, Shakked and Mila, will be organising USGT for 2023. There will be a junior (prep to 2) and a senior (3 to 6) section and all entries will need to be submitted online through google classroom (details/logins to follow). This will enable more people to submit a wider variety of weird and wonderful things such as tricks with your pets, magic tricks, trampolining or show off your skills on a bike, skateboard or roller skates. Of course we also look forward to seeing acts from all of our talented singers, dancers, actors and musicians. Entries will open next week and will close at the end of week 1 of term 4. This will give you plenty of time to get creative during the school holidays. Keep a look out for more information to follow.
Victorian State Schools Spectacular
Our VSSS singers had their second mass rehearsal at the Melbourne Town Hall this week and our VSSS dancers also had their mass rehearsal at HE Parker Sporting Complex in Heathmont. It has been great to see all of the song and dance items come together with costumes and props. It was also great to see Mr Kitch joining in with our dances! Some of our students were chose for 'media releases'. It was very exciting to listen to them answer lots of questions from journalists about the VSSS journey. I am always so proud of our USPS students when we are out and about on school excursions.
TICKETS: Please make sure you have secured a ticket as it looks like the performances will be a sell out this year!
TIMES: Please take note of these important times and dates for our busy performance week:
- Whole Cast technical rehearsal 1- John Cain Arena - 7th September (8.30am to 7.00pm)
- Whole Cast technical rehearsal 2 - John Cain Arena - 8th September (8.00am to 6.00pm)
- Performance Day/Night - 9th September (11.00am to 9.30pm with a short break between shows).
On the performance day (9th September) you will need to make your own way into John Cain Arena and your child will need to stay at the venue until the show ends at 9.30pm. Parking is available at John Cain Arena and is now open for bookings (it sells out quickly). We will arrange a small dinner break between the matinee and the evening show. More information will be provided in the coming weeks.
VSSS CHOIR UNIFORM - as mentioned previously, all singers must have plain black shoes and socks and plain black pants. I have been advised that black jeans and black leggings are unacceptable options. I have the white VSSS choir t-shirts and I will distribute these on Wednesday 6th September. Please remind your child to check google classroom to see all of our new 'choral-ography' (dance steps we do when we sing).
In the Performing Arts room:
Foundation:
The Foundation students have been expanding their understanding of acting tools. We played the opposites game where students had an 'acting conversation' where one actor 'liked' something and the other actor 'disliked' something. The students practised changing their facial expressions and their tone of voice to match their chosen conversation. As a challenge, we added 'gestures' or small movements that complimented their words. It was great to see their self-confidence increase over the last few weeks and watch them grow in bravery. We are still working on how to be a 'respectful' audience member and how we can offer encouragement when our class mates are performing. We used the game 'Little Mouse' to continue to re-enforce our beat keeping skills and we have also started to learn the choreography for the 'Nutbush' and a very special Animal Barn dance.
Year 1/2:
The students in Year 1 and 2 have been adding choreography to the beautiful Torres Strait Island song, 'Sesere Eeye' and have been working on their stagecraft skills such as entering and exiting a stage, facing the audience, singing loudly, staying in straight lines and taking a bow. I was very excited to take them outside (that one sunny day we had) to rehearse on our outdoor stage. This was a great opportunity to think about voice projection. More recently, the students have had the opportunity to learn about the ukulele. We explored the different parts of the instrument and learnt how to hold the instrument correctly. We will continue to explore this each week. We had a lot of fun learning some choreography to the iconic dance the 'Nutbush'. We can't wait to share this with you soon!
Year 3/4:
The students in Year 3/4 will spend the rest of this term exploring the skills of an actor, with particular emphasis on the actor's voice and learning and performing lines from a script. We played the game, 'Good Morning Your Majesty' during which they had to vary the tone, pitch and pace of their voice so they became unrecognisable. It was great to watch the students improvise with some 'character' voices and try to trick their classmates. We had lots of fun. We then worked collaboratively to perform a 'choral' reading of the script called 'Chips'. We will continue to work on this over the next few weeks and develop our listening skills and dramatic timing. We have been increasing our fitness and focus whilst learning and performing the iconic dance the 'Nutbush'.
Year 5/6:
The students in Year 5/6 have been consolidating their ukulele skills and toughening up their fingertips again! We revisited the parts of the ukulele, string names, fret positions and the correct finger positions. We recalled how to play the chords C, F, G and Am and attempted to play the song, 'Sesere Eeye' incorporating the time signature changes from 3/4 to 4/4. We then played the song, 'Thunder' following the play-along colour coded guide. The students in 5/6A rehearsed for their percussion performance with the Year 1 and 2 students and showed great flexibility when we had to adjust the dynamics of each instrument so we could hear the singers. We looked at the musical elements of 'texture' and 'timbre' and have begun to learn the choreography for the 'Nutbush'.
VSSS Ticketing FAQs
When is the 2023 Victorian State Schools Spectacular?
The 2023 Victorian State Schools Spectacular will be held on Saturday 9 September. The performance times are 1:00pm and 6:30pm.
Where is it held? John Cain Arena, Melbourne Park
How long is the performance?
The show is approximately 2hrs 45min (including a 30-minute interval).
Do I need a ticket? You need a ticket to attend. The performance is fully reserved, allocated seating. We recommend purchasing tickets as soon as possible to choose your seats.
When do tickets go on sale?
Tickets are on sale from 11am on Wednesday 7th June.
How much are tickets?
Adult: $40 Concession: $30 Child (U15): $20
(a $6.30 service fee per transaction applies on all purchases)
There is no ‘pre-sale’, and there is no codeword or special link required. Ticket prices have not increased in the past 10 years.
Where can I buy tickets?
Tickets are available through Ticketek: www.ticketek.com.au/spectacular or 132 849.
Ticketek is the ONLY genuine sales outlet.
Who is the show suitable for?
It is an all-ages event. However, the music can be loud for infants and toddlers.
Will there be a lockout? There will not be a lockout this year (but don’t be late!)
Where’s the best seat in the house?
As an arena performance, all seats offer full view of all the action. However, if you would like to be close to your loved one on stage, the following information (below) might be useful. USPS is Quadrant 4 for dance and Part 2 for choir.
What if I am deaf or hard of hearing?
Both VSSS performances are live Auslan interpreted. You need to use a particular LINK to book seats in the section where you'll be able to see the interpreters. (coming soon)
Mass Dance Seating Recommendations
It is suggested that the most suitable view of the respective quadrants will be from the following seating sections. These sections should be visible on the Ticketek seating map when patrons are making an online purchase.
Quadrant One (North West)
Sections 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 47, 48, 49, 50
Quadrant Two (South West)
Sections 18, 19, 17, 45, 46, 66, 67, 68
Quadrant Three (South East)
Sections 8, 9, 10, 31, 32, 56, 57, 58
Quadrant Four (North East)***THIS IS USPS***
Sections 7, 8, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 52, 53
Mass Choir Seating Recommendations
It is suggested that the most suitable view of the respective sections will be from the following seating sections. These sections should be visible on the Ticketek seating map when patrons are making an online purchase.
Part One
Section 9, 10, 31, 32, 33, 56, 57, 58
Part Two ***THIS IS USPS***
Section 17, 18, 44, 45, 46, 66, 67, 68
