Performing Arts and Languages News

Drama 

Senior Performing Arts students 

Congratulations to Year 11 and 12 Drama students who have begun an intensive production schedule this week. With public performances of The Importance of Being Ernest earlier this week given by the Theatre Performance class, these students will join the Drama 3 students tomorrow in a day of performances including Garage Girls, and individual monologues from each of the students. Our congratulations and deepest gratitude to their teacher and director, Ms Sally Lewry, for mentoring and extending our students to this point.  

A special congratulations to Year 10 Drama student, Georgina Stringer, who stepped into the theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest as an understudy for one of the roles. Georgina was outstanding and supported her senior peers in a seamless performance.

Our senior music students in the University Connections Program invite you to join them at their public recitals in the Ian Potter Recital Hall at The Hedberg (corner Liverpool and Campbell St, Hobart) on Saturday 1 November. The students will each present a 20-minute recital of songs and pieces that they have studied this year. All members of the public are welcome, and attendance is free. Feel free to attend all four recitals or arrive 10-minutes prior to the advertised timeslot. 

9.30am –Lucy McKenna, voice

10.00am – Grace Willis, voice 

10.30am – Arabella Butterworth-Barry, cello 

11.00am – Grace Munday, piano 

We send our gratitude and warmest wishes to Lucy McKenna (Year 12) for her involvement in the Performing Arts department this year as the Arts Prefect for 2025. Our congratulations to 2026 Arts Prefect, Phoebe Wiss (Year 11) as she begins in her new role next year. We look forward to profiling Phoebe in the new year as she shares her thoughts and experience for this role. 

Student shortlisted for national drama scholarship 

Talia Wighton (Year 10 Drama student)

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to audition for the John Bell Scholarship. The annual scholarship chooses up to four students from across Australia, aged 16 and over, to spend one incredible week undertaking acting masterclasses with Bell Shakespeare artists at their headquarters in Sydney. 

Applications were due in February, with written and video self-tape submissions addressing a variety of criteria. Following this, I was selected for audition by members of the Bell Shakespeare team. I chose to perform an excerpt of a monologue from Hamlet: Act 3 Scene 1: Ophelia’s soliloquy.  

I now await the outcome of the audition, to see if I have been selected as one of the successful recipients of the scholarship from the shortlisted list. This will be announced in November and December. I wish to thank Ms Knauseder for her support and preparation of my audition.   

Music 

Tasmanian Youth Orchestra (TYO) auditions now open 

TYO is home to several orchestras, string and percussion ensembles, and choirs. It is a place where Tasmania's outstanding young musicians, from primary school to university-aged students, come together to share their love of music and develop their musical skills with the help of TYO's expert artistic team.

Musicians who successfully audition for TYO ensembles join a vibrant community of talented and motivated young performers. They encourage one another to realise their musical potential as they prepare and perform programs in many of Tasmania's outstanding concert venues.