Performing Arts

Drama 

State Theatre Company of South Australia: The Young Theatre Makers’ Award 

On Friday 30 October, our Stage 1 Drama students had the exciting opportunity to participate in the Young Theatre Makers’ Award program at Flinders University, alongside students from nine schools across South Australia. 

The Young Theatre Makers’ Award which is organised by the State Theatre Company and presented in association with Drama SA, links young high school theatre makers to professional industry resources and mentorship, culminating in a public performance at the Matthew Flinders Theatre. 

As part of the program, students undertook a collaborative devising process to create a fifteen minute performance exploring the theme of truth through the style of physical theatre. Our girls developed a performance inspired by Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves. The play explores truth through a teenage girls’ experience, and the candid conversations shared within the privacy of a girls’ soccer team. 

Throughout the development process, students experimented with Frantic Assembly techniques such as Scars, Hymn Hands and Flight Paths, using movement, physical storytelling and ensemble work to communicate character, relationships and meaning in relation to the theme of truth. We are incredibly proud of their courage, creativity and commitment throughout this process and of the confidence with which they represented Loreto College in this unique performance opportunity. 

Sam Bentley 

Senior Drama Teacher 

Matilda The Musical 

Russian Dialect and Accent Workshops 

Did you know that Matilda The Musical features Russian gangsters?  

Amidst the mischief, magic and mayhem of Roald Dahl’s beloved story lies a wonderfully intricate plot, with two narratives unfolding in parallel. One follows the extraordinary tale of an Escapologist and an Acrobat, imaginatively woven by Matilda for her captivated librarian, Mrs Phelps. The other follows Mr Wormwood’s dealings with some dodgy customers, with the two storylines eventually intertwining in a most unexpected way. And what connects them? The Russian Bratva, of course! 

While our cast has spent countless hours perfecting their English accents, the arrival of a formidable Russian Mafia in Act II presented an entirely new linguistic challenge for us. In Term 3, we wondered quite how we would master the complexities of the Russian accent and the unfamiliar words written phonetically into our script. Then, in a wonderful stroke of theatrical good fortune, we discovered that the mother of one of our cast members, Zoe, is Russian. Enter Irina, our very own Russian dialect coach! 

Over the past fortnight, our fearsome Year 9 Mafia - Pearl, Chloe, Clara, Ellie and Kartia - have been working closely with Irina to develop authentic Russian accents and master the pronunciation of their lines. Through voice recordings, careful script study and plenty of patient guidance, Irina has helped the girls navigate the linguistic challenges of their roles with growing confidence and enthusiasm. 

We are enormously grateful to Irina for so generously sharing her time, expertise and encouragement. Her warmth, patience and good humour have made this an invaluable learning experience for our young performers. She even came to rehearsal last Sunday wearing her traditional Russian dress from the Multicultural Festival in the city. (The Multicultural Festival is the SA Government’s flagship celebration of cultural diversity in the state).  

And as for our Year 9 Mafia? With their accents polished and their gangster personas perfected, they are ready to make their presence felt on stage. Consider yourselves warned! 

(The Year 9 Mafia - L-R: Clara, Ellie, Irina, Kartia, Pearl. Missing from photo: Chloe) 

Book your seats! 

The performance season runs from Thursday 26 November - Saturday 28 November 2026.  Performance times are: 

• Thursday 26 November, 7pm 

• Friday 27 November, 7pm 

• Saturday 28 November, 1pm matinee 

• Saturday 28 November, 7pm 

All shows take place in St. Anne’s Performing Arts Centre.    

Music 

SPOTLIGHT ON CO-CURRICULAR STAFF 

Chelsea Lee Smart 

Our College is fortunate to have a strong network of co-curricular Performing Arts tutors who provide regular tutelage to students in a variety of disciplines. Over the coming months, we will spotlight these wonderful tutors who do so much for our community. 

Loreto welcomes Chelsea Lee Smart to the instrumental tutor team this term, following our Vocal Director Stacey Theel’s commencement of parental leave. We warmly congratulate Stacey and her husband Alex on the arrival of their new baby boy, Asher William Theel. Born on 22 October 2026, baby Asher, whose name means ‘blessed and happy’, is doing well, and we send our very best wishes to Stacey and her family.  

Chelsea Lee joins us at an exciting time in our calendar as our ensembles begin preparation for next year’s Generations in Jazz festival.  

Following her selection for Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead (USA) in 2015, vocalist and composer Chelsea Lee has earned acclaim in the Adelaide jazz scene. Graduating from the Elder Conservatorium in 2016 with first-class honours, she undertook multiple study periods in New York, where she learned from selected jazz mentors, including Will Vinson and Dominique Eade, and performed around the city. Chelsea has composed and released three albums of original jazz music, one of which won the People’s Choice category at the 2021 South Australian Music Awards. In 2024, she released a highly experimental, score-focused album with her project Djawbreaker, funded by one of Adelaide’s best music venues, The Grace Emily Hotel. 

In 2025, Chelsea composed and performed for several projects, including a Miles Davis-inspired post-bop quintet titled Pulpland, a set of David Lynch-inspired soundtrack material with Djawbreaker, both of which were featured at the 2025 Adelaide Jazz Festival, and she was a co-composer for the sold-out indie theatre production ‘Scenes With Girls’, under Deus Ex Femina and State Theatre Stateside. Chelsea has performed at Womadelaide with The Lofty Mountain Band, and in 2026 at the New Found Sound Festival with Djawbreaker. Today, Chelsea is an active jazz vocalist and improviser, often performing with The Gremilys on Wednesdays, Lachlan McGargill’s Beyond Band, and she works full-time as a dedicated vocal educator and jazz choir director.   

We hope Chelsea Lee’s time with us is rewarding, and we thank her for the time and care she will give to our vocal ensembles. 

Paula Little

Director of Performing Arts