School production a roaring success!
by Ms Amy Longden
Box Hill High School
After many rehearsals and lots of dedicated work from our student cast, crew and band, Box Hill High School’s production of ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ opened on Wednesday 6 May and wow, what a season we had!
Five incredible shows that only built in energy and entertained sell-out audiences set a new BHHS record for tickets sold.
I’ve directed or been involved in a lot of Box Hill High School productions, and this was definitely a highlight - not just because of the show itself (who doesn’t love a satire of Broadway tropes with laughs, love and rollerskates?!) but because of the incredible team behind it.
It made my role so much easier having over 60 people all working towards a common goal. Directing is about harnessing everyone’s talents to create a unified piece of theatre and I am so proud of what we achieved.
Mr Williams worked tirelessly with the band to produce a soundtrack so polished that several audience members commented they thought it was recorded music until they saw our talented instrumental students.
Berni Sweeney and Ms De Blasio worked with our phenomenal tech crew to get lighting, sound and stage management so perfect that again, the audience couldn’t believe students were doing every single thing behind the scenes.
Ms De Blasio taught vocal techniques and songs to our lead cast and created impressive three-part harmonies for our ensemble, bringing the lively, heartfelt and humorous songs to life.
Anyone impressed by the snappy choreography, including tap dancing and a dance on rollerskates, has Ms Anderson to thank – her moves and vision for students got the audience smiling.
Thanks to Kylie Pearson, our costumes glittered, shone and sparkled – we had a lot of fun working together on collecting the finest 1920s wear we could!
All this wouldn’t amount to much without the dedication and passion of our students. They pour energy and excitement into everything. They take feedback, they collaborate and they show a maturity beyond their years to get our show to the best it can be.
Our audiences’ loud laughter, cheering and standing ovations proved one thing – we know how to put on something funny, sweet and heartfelt that gets even the people who ‘don’t usually like musicals’ on board. Congratulations to everyone involved!
