School Musical:
Excursion
On Wednesday 14th March, the cast, crew and band for this year’s school musical (We Will Rock You) were lucky enough to attend a performance of the spectacular musical, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.
Our morning started with a tour of Arts Centre Melbourne, a place where velvet walls, red carpets and extravagant theatres meets the simple elegance and rich heritage of Australia’s Aboriginal culture. The tour was an incredible experience for the ‘We Will Rock You’ team as it allowed us to explore the inner workings of theatres and learn about how different shows such as operas, ballets, plays and musicals are staged. It also gave us an insight into unique architectural design of the Arts Centre building and the rich history of Melbourne’s Arts Precinct.
The understated sophistication of the Arts Centre was contrasted with the loud extravagance of ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’. The show was equal parts emotional, dazzling and humorous, and proved that it is actually possible for there to be more glitter than people on a stage! But behind the sequins and enormous wigs, the message of the story was simple and sweet: dreams, no matter how wild, really can come true. There was also a more serious undertone, as the story of ‘Priscilla’ is set amongst the drag scene of Sydney during the 1990s and explores the hardships that drag artists faced at that time due to the prejudice of society. It is sad to think that so many people had to face such hatred and discrimination, but the show’s overwhelmingly positive message of acceptance and tolerance, and strength in the face of diversity, ultimately left the audience feeling hopeful for the future.
The theatre was full and once the performance started there was only the sound of laughter. A show about drag queens would not be complete without bright colours, over-the-top costumes, impeccable choreography and, of course, great music. As we watched the musical, we students recognised some of the old songs but our teachers recognised a lot more of them! The humour in the script kept everyone engaged, including some colourful Tagalog vocabulary which a number of us actually understood!
After the show, we were treated to an exclusive Q&A with some of the ‘Priscilla’ cast and crew. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to talk with industry professionals and learn about the work that goes into staging a professional production. We learned about the design and operation of the set, especially ‘Priscilla’ herself - a full-scale, moving bus covered in LED lights. We also learned about specific roles both onstage and offstage, and realised that teamwork is the ultimate key to a show’s success: every person on and off the stage is a star. The experience also allowed us an insight into the life of a professional musical theatre artist: how they supported themselves, the challenges they faced, and their dedication to ongoing training and rehearsals. We learned that fame does not come without hardship… and that you can’t leave your “cake out in the rain” when you don’t have the recipe.
- Aardra K (11C1) and Chloe T (11B1)