Performing Arts

 Communicating with the Specialist Team

We look forward to partnering with you in 2026, and welcome your input:

Penelope Lang (Performing Arts) penelope.lang@education.vic.gov.au 

Wominjeka!

What an exciting few weeks we have had in Performing Arts

The Wizard That Was

A BIG congratulations to everyone who performed in our whole-school production, "The Wizard That Was". What an incredible performance from all of our students! It was amazing to watch them shine on stage and see all of their hard work come to fruition. You should be immensely proud of your children for their contribution, however big or small. Our school production was the result of many hours of hard work, determination, patience, stamina, problem-solving, collaboration, laughter, and creativity—vital skills for both the theatre and life.

I would also like to send a massive, standing-ovation-sized thank you to our incredible parent helpers! From making hairy toes and vintage TVs, to painting sets and sourcing the perfect props, you brought the magic of our show to life. We literally could not have done it without your creative wizardry and late-night hot glue gun sessions! A special mention to Hannah, for working with our actors every Friday afternoon to help them find their perfect Granny walk, wicked laugh or Linda magic. Your expertise was invaluable.

Thank you to everyone in our community for supporting our show and buying almost every available seat in the house. Every single cheer, whoop, and round of applause was deeply felt by everyone on stage, some of whom were very ‘nervcited’ (nervous and excited!). Your enthusiastic encouragement made every student feel like a star. Many of our performers wished they could have done an encore and did not want the fun to end. We enjoyed every minute of entertaining you, and we can’t wait to do it again in 2028!

For those who ordered a copy of the show on USB or DVD, these will be available soon. Keep an eye out for them, as they will be perfect for a fun, popcorn-filled movie night to rewatch the performance together and celebrate our students' amazing achievements all over again.

UPDATE: Qantem Multimedia  has opened up the ordering process for 24 more hours (due to parent requests). The link for ordering USB’s and MP4 File downloads of the production is below (USB - $35 and MP4 download - $25)

https://www.trybooking.com/DOUGZ

Victorian State School's Spectacular - 2026

Congratulations to all of our incredible VSSS dancers and singers who performed in the 2026 Victorian State School’s Spectacular, “This is Me”, at John Cain Arena! It is always a immense honour to be part of such a large scale, professional production.

Production week was an absolute whirlwind. Our performers rehearsed over 35 hours across just three days—which included catching a 6:30 am bus from Upwey into the city! That level of stamina and passion is truly spectacular. As you can see in the photos below, the smiles on their faces say it all. Throughout the experience, our students beautifully demonstrated our core values of resilience, respect, and responsibility. I have no doubt these memories will stay with them forever. Of course, production week also brought some unforgettable moments—including watching Mr Kitch expertly direct the famous musical director, Mr Chong Lim, out of a car park that was currently being occupied by 300 students! He is truly a man of many talents.

I am incredibly proud of  the energy and effort from every single performer. I want to extend a special thank you to our two reserve dancers, Eliza and Sienna, who stepped up to perform on the day when some of our team fell unwell. You both did an amazing job! A huge congratulations also goes to Mya S, who successfully auditioned for the specialized VSSS Choir and shone brightly on the big stage (and the big screen!). Thank you, Mya, for representing our school with such enthusiasm and professionalism.

An event of this scale simply cannot happen without the unwavering support of our school community. To our families: thank you for navigating my endless memos, managing drop-offs and pick-ups at crazy hours, and coming along to cheer on our students alongside 1,200 other performers. If you missed the live show or want to relive the magic, the Spectacular will be televised on Channel 7 on 18th December. Make sure to tune in and see if you can spot our proud Upwey South performers! Fingers crossed we get to do it all again next year.

In the Performing Arts Room

All of the students have now started learning items for our whole school Christmas concert. This will be held on Tuesday, 15th Decemeber - PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE OF DATE. The concert will be held on our school oval and more information will be sent home closer to the event.

School Choir 

Choir has now resumed for Term three and is still being held in session six on a Friday. We also welcome any new members who would like to commit for Semester two and be a part of the Christmas concert choir. Choir is open to students from Years One to Six and I have free choir booklets (if your child still needs one). There will be a short break in Term four (whilst I am on long service leave) but your children have the new songs in their choir folder. It would be great if they could work on learning the song lyrics in my absence so we can 'hit the ground running' when I return. Happy singing!!

Instrumental Lessons

Our school's Instrumental Program, now being managed by Amaris Lee-David, will continue to offer lessons on most instruments and will be retaining the outstanding team of musicians. The first 'trial' lesson is free of charge and your child will get the opportunity to perform in an end of year instrumental concert if they want to. You also have the option of choosing a lesson during the recess breaks if you would prefer that your child is not taken out of his or her class lessons. Feel free to contact Amaris info@groovefoundations.com for more information.  Please be aware that there is a waiting list for some instruments at the moment and we are doing our very best to find some additional teachers to fill this demand. I am beyond excited to hear that we have SO MANY students wanting to learn an instrument.

Bon Voyage

I am very excited to be taking some long service leave in Term four. I am heading back to the UK (where I used to live) and visiting Paris, Rome, Venice and Austria along the way. I will be back at school in week five and my Performing Arts program will be delivered by Mrs Woollard in my absence. I will miss you all and can't wait to share stories of my adventures on my return. 

Have a wonderful holiday!

Penelope