Performing Arts
Dance Night
Well done to all dancers who performed at Dance Night on Friday 16th May. Everyone performed beautifully to a full house in the MGC Theatre. It was a fantastic evening that showcased routines from the co-curricular dance program, Year 10 Dance elective, Year 9 Dance electives and VCE Dance. All performers did an outstanding job!
Thank you so much to Lindy Mumme, Georgia Culvenor, MGC Dance teachers: Kaitlin Malone, Andrea Arena, Shaelyn Hughes, Jasmine McGuire and Brooke Bond and the Year 10 Event Management team for all your help on the night. Special thanks to Ms Judge for organising and running the entire evening with over 60 performances!
Mia Haslem
Middle School Dance Captain
News from Melbourne Theatre Company – by MTC Youth Ambassador Olivia Li
Olivia Li was recently selected as a 2025 Melbourne Theatre Company Youth Ambassador, a prestigious program for passionate Year 11 theatre students across Victoria.
The Black Woman of Gippsland is a story of Victoria’s dark past that is in dire need of revisiting, told as a thrilling modern mystery that unfolds with beauty, tragedy and rebellion. A woman is tossed ashore from the sea, bedraggled and lost. A century and a half later, another finds herself diving deep into the truth behind a lingering legend. Based on real events and set on writer Andrea James’ grandmother’s country, The Black Woman of Gippsland is a poetic, emotionally rich and clever embracing of First Nations stories that have long been silenced.
The Black Women in Gippsland shows how theatre doesn't need fancy sets to hit you in the heart. That old wooden stage isn't just a floor; it's like the hard earth these women walk on every day. When the lights change, you can feel the mood shift before anyone even speaks. Just one dress hanging there tells you more about loneliness than a dozen speeches could. They make you feel like you're sitting right there in their kitchen, listening to their stories. It's all so simple, but that's what makes it real. This is the kind of play that stays with you because it feels true, not because it tries to impress you.
If you get the chance, I urge you to try and see MTC’s ‘The Black Woman of Gippsland’ while it is still showing.
Until next time,
Olivia Li
Year 11
The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale
On the 14 of May the Event Management class went to see ‘The Lord of the Rings a Musical Tale’ at the Melbourne Comedy Theatre. Travelling to the city all together and sharing lunch at the food court in Chinatown got this excursion off to a great start. But what we really enjoyed was experiencing live theatre. The play was great. Especially seeing the stage and costume design, as well as the lighting and all the incredible theatre technologies to bring this immense tale to life. It gave us a lot of inspiration for our own productions. Here are some of our personal reflections from the event. Please enjoy our comments and some of our favourite pictures:
‘The Lord of the Rings a Musical Tale’ is a beautiful production that is a feast for the senses. With gorgeous visuals and music, it went beyond my expectations and will certainly go beyond yours as well! It is an unforgettable experience!
‘The Lord of the Rings a Musical Tale’ was a beautiful and immersive experience. It was visually stunning with some compelling music and vocals from the cast. It moved quickly, but it was enjoyable despite the pace and how much they fit in. Overall, it captured the magic of the story in a creative and entertaining way.
I really enjoyed the music and vocals in ‘The Lord of the Rings a Musical Tale’, especially the way all the instrumentalists were on stage. It allowed the audience to see how the music was created in real time. The dancing was also amazing, adding to the vibrant and dynamic atmosphere on stage.
I was genuinely surprised by how much movement and dance were woven into the storytelling. The dance is more like a body language that full of expressive movement, not a traditional choreography. It made the world feel alive, ancient, and full of stories beyond the dialogue.
I thought that the props and stage designs really made the play. I think the play was really well put together, but I feel like I didn’t understand what was going on and couldn’t quite follow.
The lighting design was a highlight of this musical. The lighting changes throughout the show are very natural, and the colour and brightness changes are just right every time. For example, during the fighting scenes, the lighting becomes particularly strong, and with the fast rhythm, it feels particularly exciting; while in the place where the elves live, the lighting becomes soft, using green and yellow light to create a dreamy feeling.
I thought the dancing and the lighting was really interesting and good, and both of these contributed to this being a good play. I think that the story line could have been made a little easier to follow, but overall, this was a very successful play.
It was truly a spectacle, an impressive performance piece all together. ‘The Lord of the Rings a Musical Tale’ included very magnificent acting and the way they incorporated lighting and music was very creative. We had lots of fun, and the cast loved to interact with the audience, entertain, and make us laugh. Overall, a lovely experience and memorable afternoon.
I think the dancing and the lighting was really interesting and good, and both of these contributed to this being a good play. I think that the story line could have been made a little easier to follow. Overall though, it was an incredible play.
This musical is really amazing and visually stunning. The scene changes happen quickly, but everything flows so smoothly that it feels natural. Even though the stage isn’t very big, every part of it is used in a smart and creative way. We really liked how the turntable was used, it helped show the changes in space and time during Frodo’s adventure. It made the story easier to follow and added a great sense of movement to the scenes.
‘The Lord of the Rings a Musical Tale’ featured special effects that blew our minds, and gorgeous lighting that we hope to replicate in our upcoming learning task. Thank you to the teachers for giving us this opportunity and we definitely recommend you go see ‘The Lord of the Rings a Musical Tale’.
The Semester One Event Management Class 2025
Year 10
Year 11 Music Soul Sonics Incursion
On Thursday 27 March Year 11 Music enjoyed an incursion by Soul Sonics, where they were able to record, produce and compose using Ableton Live software and equipment.
“I really enjoyed this activity. It was educational, fun and gave me an opportunity to use equipment I wouldn’t be able to afford”.
Hannah, Year 10.
“I liked being able to sue the equipment I otherwise wouldn’t be able to use and I liked having creative freedom and time to experiment. It was super fun.”
Jasmine, Year 11.
“I loved the DJ-ing and getting to work in smaller groups. It was fun to use equipment we don’t usually have access to and to get a look into a side of the music industry we may not know much about.”
“I enjoyed getting the overall sounds from around the school”
Ruby, Year 11
“I enjoyed putting the rhythms together ad making sounds, recording and learning how to cut and make it useable. It was a really fun, informative and a new experience”.
Archie, Year 11.
“The highlights were using the audio software. I would recommend this to people in the future as it was a lot of fun and a learning experience.”
Ananya, Year 11
“The DJ part was fun- I recommend to do it again.”
Olivia, Year 11
“I really enjoyed the DJ session. I enjoyed playing around with the machines and creating beats.”
Allison, Year 11
“I enjoyed going out and finding interesting sounds to record. I think this is a fun and new experience.”
Giselle, Year 10.
“I loved learning to use the software and experimenting with the sounds and DJ-ing. I would definitely recommend it, it was a lot of fun and very interesting, I learnt a lot.”
Anne Corry
Perfoming Arts Leader
Upcoming Events
“Life is a Cabaret”
A big congratulations to all the students who have auditioned over the last few weeks for roles in the 2025 student initiative, “Life is a Cabaret”. It is with much delight that we present to you the final cast list.
Also, a big thank you to our Arts Captains who have been working tirelessly this year to create this huge extravaganza. They have created a narrative that we hope you will all enjoy, threading musical theatre hits together in an engaging and imaginative way.
Lindy Mummé
School Production Leader