Performing Arts

Our College Production of Beauty and the Beast Jr.

With less than one month to go until our fabulous College production, Beauty and The Beast Jr. hits the stage, the demand has been so high that we have already sold out!

We are thrilled to be partnering once again with Pakenham Springs Primary School and look forward to welcoming their young students as they join ours, bringing some extra charm to this fabulous show.

This year’s production promises some exciting surprises, thanks to our extremely talented cast, exceptional crew and amazingly creative student set designers.

Our dedicated and outstanding staff and student team, led by Ms Lentini, have outdone themselves this year, especially considering last year’s show, The Wizard of Oz, was such a hard act to follow.

Beauty and The Beast Jr. will be held at the Cardinia Cultural Centre for two nights only on Thursday, 28th August and Friday, 29th August and we can’t wait for you to ‘Be Our Guest’!

Please read on for an update from our dedicated Performing Arts Captains, as well as some testimonials from our wonderful cast and crew members.

Holiday Production Rehearsals

During the first week of the holidays we luckily got the chance to come into school and rehearse our amazing show ‘Beauty and the Beast Jr’. This was a spectacular experience as we got to spend 3 days perfecting our show, practising choreo, working on vocals and more. A highlight of these rehearsals is the star charts that we do every year. This is a chance to give shouts outs and compliments to everyone involved and we are so grateful for this experience.

This year, our school has partnered with Pakenham Springs Primary school. We recently had our final primary school visit and the primary school students were incredible! They remembered all the choreography and they are extremely keen to show everyone what we have put together in the theatre. 

We are so excited to showcase our production of “Beauty and the Beast Jr”. Seats are selling fast! By the time this newsletter is published, our closing night looks like it will have sold out. We look forward to showing you all the amazing work we have put into this production this year. So please, we invite you to join our magical ‘Tale as old as time...’

Kaneisha L, Abbie M  and Jaxon L

Performing Arts Captains

Here are a few student testimonials about the production process: 

My favourite part of the production so far has been getting to go to rehearsals each week and learn the choreography, lyrics, transitions and everything else in such a fun, welcoming and inclusive space. The production this year has been a place where all kinds of students feel welcomed and accepted. The energy in the rehearsal space is always friendly and warm. I could not imagine a better company to be performing this show with.

• Lauren C, Year 11, Ensemble Member

I signed up for the production because it was something that I was interested in, I love to perform, act and dance so the production was a chance for me to show that and to have fun. My favourite part of the show has been rehearsing and learning choreography with really kind and friendly teachers and cast mates. Overall, I would very much recommend signing up to join the production because there are so many amazing staff members involved and the company in general is super welcoming, and fun to be around.

• Chahat S, Year 9, Featured Dancer

I have joined the production out of curiosity and my obsession with working with technology especially behind the scenes with other crew members and the amazing talented cast who puts their souls into the show. Joining the production has made me find a crowd of people who embraces each other and work together. Thanks to the production, I have managed to meet brilliant people who connect with me and have made unforgettable memories and it’s all thanks to the amazing staff team, cast, design team and crew members. I hope everyone has the chance to see the show.

• Bec Watson, Year 9, Crew Member

I signed up for production cause since 2023 I've been doing it every year and now it has become home. Through production I've met my best friends and so many amazing people and even became a captain for performing arts. It really is my home away from home and that's why i will continue to sign up every year. 

• Jaxon L, Year 10, Featured Role

I joined Beauty and the Beast Jr. because I was excited about the show itself and the chance to make new friends and learn more about performing. So far, my favourite part has been the amazing friendships I’ve made and the hilarious scenes we’ve brought to life this show is truly laugh-out-loud funny, and I absolutely love it! Rehearsals have taught me to just have fun and not stress because when you give it your best, that’s more than enough. I especially enjoyed the dance parties and revisiting scenes often, which helped me understand the show so much better. Honestly, this cast and production are spectacular. You won't want to miss our magical performance!

• Alyssa LD, Year 9, Belle

Joining Beauty and the Beast has been the highlight of my first year at PSC. I have always been someone who loves to sing and dance, so joining the production felt like a perfect fit for me and has enhanced this passion.  I have made and met so many new friends, people and staff I look up to, that have welcomed and encouraged me every single day. I have learnt so much about music, acting, drama techniques and myself over this past couple of terms and can't wait to sing up every year forward. Thank you to all the people that have made this happen.

• Marlee W, Year 7, Cogsworth

Being a part of Beauty and the Beast Jr has been some of the best times of my year. I have been doing the school productions ever since Miss Lentini has come to our school. With this over the years production has become my second home with me spending all my time there. Here I have met all and bonded with most of my best friends. Playing a role in the show is an honour and I am proud to say I do the production. The show that we have in store for our Audience is honestly breathtaking!! Moments that will make them laugh out loud, we have put our own spin on Beauty and the Beast Jr in the best way, while keeping the original story. We can’t wait to see everyone in the theatre!!

• Kaneisha L, Year 11, Lumiere

I joined the production last year cause my some of my friends were doing it and they wanted me to do crew, i decided to join this years production Beauty and the Beast JR cause i had so fun last year. my favourite part so far is making new friends and seeing other peoples talents in the show. I have learnt how to be more confident in my self while acting and to not hold my self back. I enjoyed hanging out with people on the holiday rehearsals and  seeing how the show was when it was finished.

• Amelia F, Year 8, Ensemble Member

I joined production back in 2023 because I love performing. I've had so much fun doing Beauty and the Beast Jr. I have made new friends and a lot of memories. Everyone in production is so extremely kind and supportive of each other. Some of my closest friends that I have I've met at production. Tuesday and Wednesday rehearsals are the highlight of my week. I love learning and practicing the chorography and learning the lyrics to the songs. I'm so excited to see how the show turns out on the stage.

• Millie M, Year 9, Ensemble Member

What I enjoyed about the production holiday rehearsals was that I got to see all of the cast and crew in their own element, energized and ready to take on a huge task. It was amazing to get to spend time with, and get to know everyone, and it will be amazing to join them on the stage.

• Abbie M, Year 11, Featured Role

I personally signed up for production because as a new year 7 I thought that it would be a good opportunity to be able to meet new people and express my love for Drama, so far it has been an amazing experience from the audition process all the way to everyone working so hard to make this show beautiful. So far my favourite part has been hanging out with all my awesome peers, seeing how magical the show is looking and seeing the dedication within our entire team. All together I have LOVED this experience.

• Ruthie Brooks, Year 7, Chip

Our Stars at the Victorian State Schools Spectacular

On Saturday, 13th September, Pakenham Secondary College students will take centre stage at the Victorian State Schools Spectacular. This incredible live show, featuring music, dance, circus acts and puppetry, is performed twice to an audience of around 12,000 people at John Cain Arena and will be televised across Victoria later in the year.

Eighteen of our talented students are participating in the production, as a Principal Dancer, a Main Choir vocalist and in the Mass Dance Troupe, after committing to rehearsals since the beginning of the year. Their hard work and dedication to perfecting their roles is to be highly commended.

After standout performances in both 2023 and 2024, our Principal Dancer, James Nimaya, has once again been selected from thousands of students across the state to perform on stage. James' exceptional natural talent and charisma make him a true highlight of the event; his stage presence is nothing short of mesmerising.

It has been a particularly busy few months for James, who also plays the lead role of Gaston in our College production of Beauty and the Beast Jr.

James has also been honoured as the official face of this year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular, appearing on all posters and promotional materials - a tremendous achievement.

We are also thrilled to celebrate Joice Nimaya, who will be making her first appearance as part of the main cast in this year’s Spectacular. Joice impressed audiences last year as part of our Mass Dance Troupe at the 2024 Spectacular, as well as her incredible performance as Dorothy in our 2024 College Production of The Wizard of Oz. We can’t wait to see her shine on stage again next month.

In addition, we are proud to once again have our very own Dance Troupe featured in the Mass Dance. These sixteen incredible students have been rehearsing all year, during lunchtimes, after school and in special hub rehearsals with other schools, under the expert direction of Ms Gourlay and assisted by Ms Ward. Whether this is their first time as part of our fantastic dance troupe or if they are seasoned performers, we look forward to seeing their fabulous dance moves on the day.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Tickets for the Victorian State Schools Spectacular are now on sale at:

ticketek.com.au/spectacular

There are two performances only - at 1pm and 6:30pm on Saturday, 13th September at John Cain Arena. 

To see where our Dance Troupe will be located, please click here.

To read Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.

We highly recommend seeing this wonderful event and celebrating our remarkably dedicated and talented students.

Coming Soon: A night of unmissable music!

Something exciting is coming! Our talented Instrumental Music students are preparing for a one-of-a-kind musical event that promises incredible talent and unforgettable performances.

Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks as you won’t want to miss this!