BIG FISH

MUSICAL PRODUCTION

Well, the major school production has once again come to a close, and while I can say it is a relief not being surrounded by walls of costumes, piles of sequins, fish, stilts, instruments, electrical cords and chaotic, excitable children, I do miss it.

Big Fish was a BIG show. But, for anyone who was lucky enough to see it would agree that our students once again excelled themselves and produced a professional, colourful and heartbreaking musical. For the first time in my six years directing the production, I sat in the audience on closing night. Although it was difficult for me to sit back and relax, without worrying about cueing a light, or an animation or an entrance from side stage, it was an absolute joy to finally take in the magic from the audience’s perspective. Seeing the actors in full flight, the band hitting every note and the backstage crew well oiled and invisible filled my heart with pride.

I would like to make a special mention to my student animation team (headed up by the extraordinary Jay Curtis) and my QLab experts. For the first time at FCC we used projected backdrops and animations and with the guidance of Christie and the VCA animation students, Jay, Devlin, Dayna, Zoe and Sani (Year 10/11), produced almost every image seen on our scrim. All sound and animation cues were programed into a brand new state-of-the-art cueing program QLab, a new addition to our theatre, and a program used by professional theatres across Australia. These cues were programmed by year 8 students Alice, Chloe and Holly. The girls took on the challenge with absolute enthusiasm, becoming local experts by the end of the show.

This epic show took an army to complete. But once again our young team pulled through and created a glorious piece of theatre.

Our students are amazing and it is a privilege working with them year after year.

My thanks go out to everyone who helped in putting this enormous production together, including our staff Jocelyn Jensen, Emma Schmidt, Paul Dooley, Margaret Erickson, Mark Gusman, Rodney Hales, Sam Olivieri and the numerous other parents and friends that assisted in a thousand different ways! Finally, a big thank you to my stage manager Leo Reid and the countless students who worked behind the scenes on this show.

Emily Unt Wan (Director)

The ON STAGE experience

As these past few weeks have flown by in a haze of music, hairspray and many, many costumes, the cast of 'Big Fish' are now slowly emerging to rejoin their "normal" lives, recovering from the show that left them (and its audiences) reeling. An incredibly emotional and heartwarming show, 'Big Fish' was a thrill to perform and thanks to the brilliant arts department here at FCC, we kept up our school tradition of setting the standard high for what constitutes a school musical. There are plenty of reasons to have loved being a part of Big Fish; the stilts, the endless amount of blue I got to wear, the sheer talent of cast, crew and stage band but most of all, I have loved the opportunity to perform with an amazing community of people who make every second onstage and off a delight. As the curtains have come to a close, I'm left feeling incredibly lucky for the amazing show I've been able to perform in as well as the wonderful people I've met and friends I've made. I hope you got to see all of the effort and talent the ensemble put in to 'Big Fish' and either way, see you next year!

Mia Anne Brittain - Year 11 (Sandra Bloom)

The school musical.  It’s a term commonly used each year at FCC to describe a situation in which a bunch of theatre kids unite to perform a spectacular rendition of a… well... musical.  This year’s performance was as always extravagant, rousing out the deepest emotions from a range of typically unemotional people - my teachers, for one.  At times, the audience was aghast, confused, blissful, shocked, and devastated… for despite the brilliant plot and the chilling music and the superb acting, we all found it impossible to ignore the intense atmosphere of life and light which surrounded the cast in our performances.  

As a year nine in my fourth school musical, I find so much inspiration in my older peers.  Knowing that all of them once started out as little snots like us is not only reassuring but strongly encouraging. Each year I watch closely as the leads open their hearts out to the audience, offering their character’s loves and losses and hopes, and I become inspired. To see such talent and dedication grow in such a startling amount of time is amazing, and powerful in the sense that each year the performances only get stronger and fuller.  

The support offered by the older kids is incredible - the hugs and jokes and smiles are only small, but the value they have in the overall musical experience is huge - for without them, our school production would only be a whole lot of shell missing the colourful life of the yolk.

Jasmine Nolan-James - Year 9 (ensemble)

The transition of Primary School to High School is never an easy thing, but it was made so much easier by all the people in the school production. Every single one of them we know from the show are kind and supportive, and we could not thank them enough for that. When I (Callum Bendall) signed up for the school show, I really had no idea what it was going to be like. It was my first production ever, and I didn’t know anybody there. It was a daunting experience, that first rehearsal. But, before long new people started saying ‘Hi’, inviting us into this new world, and, of course, putting up with us! The next five months were undoubtedly the best in our school year. We would like to thank the incredible teachers: Emily Unt Wan, Joss Jensen, Emma Schmidt, and Margaret Erickson, for the hours upon hours they put into the show, and our well-being. This show would never have gotten off the ground if it weren’t for them. It was an incredible start to our time here, and has been an amazing experience, which we will remember for the rest of our time at FCC.

Callum Bendall (Young Will) and Joshua White (ensemble) - Year 7

A word from our backstage crew!

As the stage manager for Big Fish, I gained invaluable experience in fields such as teamwork, communication, initiative and the specific requirements of stage management. I got to closely work with both our backstage crew and creative team in order to realise this intense production. I've grown immensely, and the opportunities provided through the theatre department at FCC are unlike any other that I know of. Students are taken seriously and are an integral part of the artistic and production process. My experience stage managing at FCC has prompted me to consider a career in the industry.

Leo Reid - Year 11 (Stage Manager)

Footscray City College presented ‘Big Fish’ as the 2017 school production. It was a successful couple of shows, because of the dedication and hardwork put in by everyone involved. (Alice) Being my second show I wanted to experience different parts of backstage. This year I learnt and ran a new program called QLAB, which involved projections and sound effects. (Gigi)  This was my first show and it was one of the best experiences being backstage during the show doing costume changes for some of the leads, and making great friendships. By the time the shows had finished we were all a part of the family. We both hope to be a part of future productions, as we miss being a part of the show already!

Alice Hazeldine and Gigi Dymke - Year 8 (Backstage/Tech crew)

Animation Extravaganza!

This years production was intense, fish flying around, elephants stomping, towns flooding - Arhhhh! That being said it was fantastic and an absolute pleasure to work on. Christie and her students from VCA were a tremendous help to the student animation team. Learning new skills (and being able to show them off) was an experience I will never forget. Their support broke the distance between teacher and student which made working alongside them feel genuine, giving a sense of community and family. I already miss rehearsals and I’m extremely eager to see what next year has in store.

Jay Curtis - Year 11 (Chief student animator and on stage chameleon)