Performing Arts
Communicating with the Specialist Team
We look forward to partnering with you in 2022, and welcome your input:
Penelope Lang (Performing Arts) penelope.lang@education.vic.gov.au
Welcome back to school and an exciting Term 3! I hope you had a wonderful school holiday (feels so long ago I know!) and enjoyed some relaxing family time. I always love hearing about your adventures when the students return in week one! I got to go home and visit my family in NSW and celebrate a very special birthday with five cousins born in the same year as me! I also went to an Art exhibition....oh and rescued a bird!
This is a VERY busy term in Performing Arts, with 'The Wizard of Oz' being performed in week 7 and almost 50 students performing in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular in week 9. Please keep an eye out for Compass messages communicating important information about these events. As soon as I am given information (from Burrinja or VSSS) I send it home to you asap....which means if I have not provided you with details, it is because I am still waiting for information. Please never hesitate to contact me if you have any wonderings.
School Production
Our school production, 'The Wizard of Oz' will be performed over two nights (August 24th and 25th) and tickets will go on sale in the next few days. I will send home a Compass post when ticket sales go LIVE!!!!
Your classroom teacher will notify you as to which night your child will be performing (so you can buy the correct tickets). Please be mindful that this process has involved many hours of planning, taking into consideration class numbers, siblings, costumes, staging and dressing room capacity etc. I appreciate your understanding.
Danielle Haines would love some extra hands in the Art room to help finish off some sets and props. Please let me or Danielle know ASAP if you can spare a few hours.
In Week One, all classes engaged in some rich conversation and learning about NAIDOC week with this year's theme, 'Get up, Stand up, Show up'. We looked at:
- The history of NAIDOC
- Who are the traditional owners of the land on which our school sits
- The name of their language
- The difference between a 'welcome' to country and an 'acknowledgment' of country
- Indigenous language for 'hello and welcome' and 'Melbourne'
- How Indigenous culture and language has 'shown up' for us ie Australia Post and the AFL
We then enjoyed watching performances from bilingual Indigenous rapper 'Baker Boy', the 'Bangarra Dance Theatre' and a special performance of 'Wominjeka Wurundjeri' by the Victorian State Schools Spectacular mass choir from 2020. Check it out at https://youtu.be/XpZR2-dxyXI
All classes have been continuing to rehearse their songs and dances for the school production. The Foundation students have now moved on to rehearsing the school finale. They have had a lot of fun trying to keep up with the super speedy dance moves....amazing resilience! You are in for such a treat when you see them perform. The Year 1 students have been working on their 'on stage' dialogue and are looking forward to meeting the Wicked Witch when we start our combined rehearsals next week. The Year 2 students left me a little speechless with how well they knew their dance, 'Ease on Down the Road'....especially after a two week holiday! Turns out the amazing Mrs Hall and Miss Bowles have been rehearsing back in their classrooms. I just love our team spirit at USPS. The students are now adding some 'acting' activities to their scene and are working on using exaggerated facial expressions and gestures. The Year 3/4 students showed great resilience when some of their dance lines and positions needed to be changed. They will be happy to never hear me say "and disco, and disco and disco and point" ever again! We have now tried on most of the costumes. PLEASE have a look in your child's bag for a GREEN piece of paper. This tells you what you will need to add to your child's costume. The year 5/6 students did some fantastic dancing (without copying me) and are doing their best to remember to sing at the same time! Our Thursday acting rehearsals are progressing slowly. Many students are still using their scripts. It would be wonderful if you could help your child learn their lines at home so we can get the most out of our very limited rehearsal time at school. A BIG thank you to the 5/6 team of teachers who stepped in to help with the rehearsals during my 7 day absence. Costume fittings will be finalised over the next week.
School Production Important Dates - Costumes and Tickets
The COSTUME notice (below) was sent home in the last newsletter of TERM TWO. I have attached it again in case you missed it. Please do NOT bring costume items into school just yet. They will not be required until Monday 15th August, this is the week of our dress rehearsal.
Performance and rehearsal dates
- Wednesday 24th August- 6.30pm Evening performance Cast 1- at Burrinja Cultural Centre, 351 Glenfern Rd, Upwey.
- Thursday 25th August- 6.30pm Evening performance Cast 2- at Burrinja Cultural Centre, 351 Glenfern Rd, Upwey.
- Friday 19th August - Whole school dress rehearsal - costumes required. The dress rehearsal will be held within the school gymnasium during school hours. More information will follow.
- Tuesday 23rd August - Whole school technical rehearsal. The technical rehearsal will be held at Burrinja Cultural Centre, 351 Glenfern Rd, Upwey. This rehearsal will be held during school hours, with students being transported to and from the venue by bus. No costumes are required. Consent for permission to travel will be up on Compass soon.
Production Costumes
We have been very fortunate to have the creative mind and sewing skills of Kelly Ingram who has managed the costume creations for our show both last year and again this year. We will be providing most of the students’ costumes but we do need your assistance with some basic items. During the holidays it would be great if you could source the following items for your child:
Foundation:
Girls will need a short sleeve plain white t-shirt and YELLOW leggings (Big W have the leggings). Plain white canvas shoes.
Boys will need a short sleeve plain white t-shirt and RED leggings (Big W have the leggings). Plain white canvas shoes.
Year One:
All students will need black leggings or jeans, black short sleeve t-shirt, black shoes and socks.
Year Two:
There are two costume options:
1. Blue denim shorts or skirt and a pair of STRIPED (horizontal) knee high socks or tights in any of these colours: black and white, hot-pink and white, blue and white, orange and white or any fluro colour and white.
2. Blue ripped denim jeans.
WE ARE PROVIDING THE TOPS FOR ALL STUDENTS.
We would love the students to wear bright coloured high-top shoes (fluro would be great) or trainers. You might like to get creative in the holidays and paint your own! If you cannot find bright shoes then white canvas shoes are fine.
Year Three/Four:
We have created over 35 different costumes and most are completed. Some students will need to source a few props to go with their costume. I will contact people individually.
Year Five/Six:
I will be speaking to each actor individually, but most of the costumes have been sourced. On the night your child is not in their ‘acting role’ they will be cast as an ‘extra’ in various scenes. They will require a few costume items for these scenes and I will confirm this early next term. Backstage crew will need to wear all black. Our school production t-shirt is also suitable for crew to wear.
Victorian State Schools Spectacular
Our VSSS Choir had their first MASS rehearsal at the Melbourne Town Hall last week. They were accompanied by Mr Kitch, Mrs Haines and Kim Van Hoorn. It was a long but very rewarding day. Well done everyone for representing our school with pride.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2022 VSSS. We are very excited to have the BIGGEST number of participants that we have EVER had. We have 30 singers and 16 dancers and we would love you to come along and support each and every one of them. Tickets are available through Ticketek: www.ticketek.com.au/spectacular or 132 849. Adult: $40 Concession: $30 Child (U15): $20 (a $5.95 per transaction fee applies on all purchases)
For those students who are participating please take note of the following rehearsal dates below. We will attend all rehearsals by bus, leaving school at a time to be confirmed.
Mass Choir Rehearsal - Melbourne Town Hall
Wednesday 17th August
Rehearsal: 10am - 3pm
Mass Dance Rehearsal – H.E. Parker Recreation Centre, Heathmont
Friday 5th August
Rehearsal: 10am -2pm
VSSS – Dance AND Choir Rehearsal - John Cain Arena
Thursday 8th September
Rehearsal: 10am - 6pm
Friday 9th September
Rehearsal: 9am - 5pm
Performance Day
Saturday 10th September
11am - 10pm (approximate times only tbc)
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or wonderings.
