Ngulu Nganjin: What did our students think?

Being part of the school production was really fun and I would like to do it again. Not only escaping from schoolwork, but it was a learning experience. The lessons you could learn on stage, you can’t learn in the classroom. For example, you know how when you're in class learning, your teacher always tells you to be quiet, in rehearsal it's the opposite. All the teachers were telling us to project our voices!

By Izzy Morgan 6KD

The main message of Ngulu Nganjin was every one being different and accepting them for who they are. Ngulu Nganjin means everyone’s voice and I think we did really include everyone’s voice. I think another meaning this play represented was empathy because all the kids decided to help the animals no matter how far away they had to go, like when they had to travel to broom just to get a baby back to its family.

My final thoughts are that I will never forget this play because it was our first school play ever and I was lucky enough to play the main role. My favourite part of the play was when me and my friends were backstage and we were doing everyone’s makeup and just the excitement of waiting to get on stage was so fun.

By Phoebe Maher 6KD

The thing that I am most proud about from the production is how many rehearsals we did and the fact that my parents got to see me perform.

My biggest challenge that I overcame was not getting overwhelmed by all the people staring at me. I felt confident and happy to be up there. When I got on stage all the butterflies in my belly flew away.

One thing that I would do differently would be to try and get a proper speaking roll. I loved how I got to handball the footy to Hector as one bit in the production.

The main message of Ngulu Nganjin was for everyone to be included and have a voice, because Ngulu Nganjin means “everyone's voice or our voice”. The production taught us language and lifelong skills such as acting and speaking in front of a fairly large audience.

The thing that I will remember most about Ngulu Nganjin is all the hard work that was put in by teachers, parents and students to make it all happen and run smoothly.

By Luca Gilchrist 6KD

What I am most proud of accomplishing is how I got over my stage fright. I was nervous and worried about going on the stage in front of everybody. But when I got on the stage it felt like a mix of excitement and nervousness. Mostly excitement as it kind of overtook my nerves. I was proud of myself for not missing anything and for staying focussed the entire time.

By Ruby Wilson 6KD

I’m most proud of how much effort I put into working as a team and improving my confidence on stage. At first, I was nervous about performing in front of others, but by the end, I felt proud of how clearly I spoke and how much energy I brought to my role of Nharrang (the eastern water dragon). I also worked really hard on learning my lines and helping others remember theirs too. When I was backstage, I felt more and more nervous with every moment that went on, but as soon as I stepped out onto the stage and curled up in front of that rock all of the months of rehearsals came to me and I felt as confident as I would ever be. Once I was standing up and saying all my lines, as they flowed out of my mouth with ease I felt proud of what I had put in to come to this moment on stage, being Nharrang.

My biggest challenge was staying focused during long rehearsals. Sometimes it was hard to keep my energy up or remember all the small details because of Kate having to change some little thing every second line we all said. But I overcame it by reminding myself how important the show was and by always looking like I enjoyed it. I also learned to be more patient and to keep going even when I felt tired and hungry. Once the day of the play came, I was ready, focused and in character, unlike some of the rehearsals.

By the end of my classes scene I felt kind of sad that months of work had just come to an end in only minutes but all of the skills and experiences had not come to an end and I will always remember every moment of being on stage and taking in all the people watching me.

by Ollie Rhodes 6KD

As Alex, one of the hardest parts of the production for me were the glasses. I’m proud of myself for pushing through my scene even when the stage lighting made everything go blurry. Fortunately, I didn’t have many movements across the stage, mostly just standing up and sitting down, so the risk of me walking into anyone was small.

Along with the glasses, another challenge I faced was keeping in character, even while the audience was laughing. Our scene had a lot of jokes, so it was hard to continue being annoyed, serious or worried during the pauses. I just had to remember what it would feel like to actually get stuck somewhere strange, and then I was mostly okay.

If I was to do the production again, I would practice my lines more. One of my lines “could you tell us more about this hero? - Yurry?” sounds a bit like I’m calling the lizard Yurry. If I was to do this again, I would ask to change the line, or at least find a way to say it without sounding like the lizard’s name is Yurry.

Ngulu Nganjin is a play about six school children, their classes, and absolutely no teachers on a trip around Australia. As they travel, they learn Aboriginal languages, stories, and help save a lost baby turtle. Ngulu Nganjin celebrates Indigenous culture, and teaches people the importance of Australian First Nations people.

This production was one of the best experiences I’ve had at primary school. I’ve performed in other plays, but this one was definitely the best, and most fun. I do wish we could do this again, but mainly I’m just thankful that we could do this in the first place, because I know that most primary schools don’t.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to making this happen!

By Matilda Shiel 6KD

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