LEGALLY BLONDE
Legally Blonde was an amazing success this year. Once again, FCC sold out the entire season and we also had our largest turnout for production previews.
This musical has held a warm place in my heart since it graced the stage of the Princess Theatre in 2013. That year, Emma Schmidt, Margaret Erickson and I took 20 girls from FCC to see Legally Blonde as a special girls theatre night. For some of them it was their first time stepping foot in a real theatre, but they all shared one thing; a huge smile as soon as the overture began. Since then, I have been holding onto this show, waiting for the perfect cast to gift this sparkly pink present to.
While the story begins as a classic rom-com/breakup story, it becomes something much more. It is inherently a message of empowerment for women; teaching girls that you don't need another person to validate your worth or intelligence. In today's society, as the #metoo movement gathers a swell of more and more women, this message is more valuable than ever, especially for our students.
I am so grateful to all the staff and helpers and look forward to leading next year's production into the new learning precinct.
Emily Unt Wan - Director/Drama Teacher
This year's senior school production of ‘Legally Blonde’ was such a special experience that will definitely be a highlight throughout my schooling years. As soon as I heard the announcement of the musical, I knew I had to participate! Once discovering my love for ‘Legally Blonde’ in year seven, it quickly became my favourite musical with Elle Woods becoming my dream role! Not only did this musical have such an incredible message about female empowerment, but it also demonstrated that you don’t need anyone else to validate your worth. I believe this message is very important in this day and age and being able to play such a strong empowering role was such an honour. I couldn't have done this show without the amazing cast and crew! The cast was extremely close and it was a safe and welcoming environment for all. The teachers supported the students closely throughout this challenging process including our wonderful director Emily Unt Wan. We couldn't have done this show without everyone’s hard effort and amazing spirit!
Kristine Murray-Xenidis (Year 11)
This year being my last show at FCC, made it a very emotional and surreal experience for me. Doing these shows since Year 7 has been an absolute joy and I would not know where I would be without these shows. I implore anyone who wants to try something new to do one of these shows. It has been a pleasure working with so many talented and wonderful people in this production and thank you to everyone who worked on and came to see the show.
Darcy Altschwager (Year 12)
Being a part of the Legally Blonde cast was a fantastic experience. It was really great, getting to perform in a production that had once been on Broadway. I definitely improved my acting skills, singing skills, and dancing skills while in this show. I was looking forward to every rehearsal we did. This was partly because of the show, but mostly because of the amazing cast, backstage and creative team that was constantly supporting each other throughout the show. Through FCC productions I have been able to meet some really friendly, talented people who I would have never met if I didn’t participate. Performing in Legally Blonde the musical was incredible and I can’t wait to do it again!
Mali Hawke (Year 8)
After spending last year's production of The Wedding Singer in the band, I came back to the cast for this years production of Legally Blonde. Both acting and music are incredible passions of mine, and the compassion and comradery the cast, band, and crew share for one another simply can not be put into words. As the rehearsals come and go right before our eyes, we are all dependent on one another to energize, entertain and cheer each other on. Not often is it that I can say how fun it is to play a self-centred douchebag, and have a laugh with everyone else whilst doing so, and from this I have endless gratitude to those involved in the production.
Josh White (Year 9)
Working on Legally Blonde was a great experience for me and everyone else involved. Creating the props and sets was the first task for the crew as that takes the longest in any production I've done. I joined the tech crew a week before production so I could work on lighting for the show. I felt like this would be a more interesting experience for me as I’ve already moved around props and sets for a show before. I got to learn how to operate the new lighting technology (I’ve heard this is the first school production that we’ve done with it.) I cooperated with Emily (the director) and Darcy Smith (a past student) on creating lighting cues. All parts of the show ran smoothly, from the acting, singing and dancing to the lighting and sound. Everyone chipped in (on their shoulders) to make Legally Blonde the most whypped production of all time!
Declan - Lighting Crew (Year 10)