The performing arts continue to provide students with opportunities to challenge themselves, develop their talents and pursue their aspirations beyond the classroom. We are proud to celebrate two Year 10 students who have achieved remarkable success in highly competitive performing arts programs, earning places with the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre (QAEMT) and Ballet Theatre Queensland (BTQ).
These achievements reflect not only their talent, but also their dedication, perseverance and passion for the arts.
A passion for performance and helping others
Emily has been accepted into the prestigious Griffith University Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre (QAEMT) pre tertiary program, a significant achievement for a young performer seeking to further develop her performance skills with just 30 Years 10 to 12 students from across Queensland selected for the program.
For Emily, every Saturday during the school term, between 9am and 3pm, is spent in studios at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) participating in dance, acting and singing classes as well as an ensemble class that unites all three skills. Classes are led by the specialist staff of Griffith University’s Bachelor of Musical Theatre program, giving Emily the chance to learn from industry professionals who are training the next generation of performers.
This year, Emily also successfully auditioned for the Australian Honours Ensemble Program and will spend the September school holidays working in an intensive environment of musical excellence honing her vocal technique under the guidance of internationally recognised conductors from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.
At St Margaret’s, Emily has embraced every opportunity to develop her performance skills, most recently as a member of the school choirs – Exultate and Encorah – and dance troupe, Ballare. She also played the role of Jane Banks in the school’s 2025 production of Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical.
Outside of school, Emily has just wrapped playing the lead role of Wendy Jo in Communication in Action’s production of Footloose the Musical and early in the year, played Miss Honey in Matilda The Musical, produced by The Dance and Theatre Factory.
With such a busy schedule, Emily says St Margaret’s supports her to balance her passion for performance alongside her academic studies through the Flyers Program for elite athletes and performers.
“It’s an incredible program that gives me time during the school day to work on my academics, so that in the afternoons and on the weekends, I have more time for my musical theatre endeavours,” Emily said.
While she dreams of pursuing a career in musical theatre, Emily is also passionate about helping others and is considering a future in paediatric occupational therapy.
“I’ve chosen a broad range of subjects for Years 11 and 12 to keep my options open, including Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics, Chemistry, English and Drama. This should secure me an ATAR high enough to be accepted into an OT course, if I choose not to pursue a Bachelor of Musical Theatre, while also allowing me to maintain my passion through Drama. Whatever path I eventually choose, I will feel ready and confident,” Emily said.
Dancing Towards New Opportunities
For Allegra, years of commitment and dance training have resulted in an exciting next step, earning selection into Ballet Theatre Queensland (BTQ) – a youth ballet company founded by St Margaret’s Old Girl Phyllis Danaher (1925).
“There is something really meaningful about being part of something established by someone who shared a connection with our school and made such a significant contribution to dance in Australia,” Allegra said.
The acceptance into BTQ will provide Allegra with the opportunity to work alongside talented young dancers while further refining her technical skills and artistic expression and gaining a real-world insight into the career of a professional dancer. She will perform in a production of Hansel and Gretel at QPAC in early 2027.
“BTQ will have a huge impact on my future aspirations, because it is giving me a much clearer understanding of what pursuing dance beyond school could actually look like, as well as helping me build connections within the industry and allowing me to develop skills that will be important when I eventually begin to audition for other opportunities,” she said.
Dancing since the age of three, Allegra trains at The Premier Dance Academy in ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, lyrical heels and other styles, spending more than 25 hours training and in rehearsals each week, and every Sunday, between 9am and 5pm, at BTQ rehearsals. She also spends an additional three hours per week in vocal lessons, and uses the holidays to pursue additional opportunities that develop her acting and performance skills.
In addition to her acceptance into BTQ, Allegra’s other recent achievements include playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz last year, dancing in Paris and London earlier this year, receiving a Distinction in her Royal Academy of Dance Advanced 1 exam, receiving a Highly Commended and a score of 95/100 in her lyrical solo at the Beenleigh Eisteddfod and achieving a perfect score in Comdance Jazz Grade 8.
Allegra also embraces every opportunity to grow as a dancer and performer at St Margaret’s and is a member of the school’s dance troupe and choirs, performing at events including Open Day, the Mayo Arts Festival, the school musicals and at dance competitions.
She is also completing a Certificate III in Dance as part of St Margaret’s careers program, which supports students in Years 10 to study a qualification while still at school. Her certificate studies are allowing her to develop her training but also gain a deeper understanding of dance as a profession, insights she views as incredibly valuable when considering where she would like dance to take her after school. “I’m excited that there are so many different pathways within the performing arts, and I want to keep exploring them while continuing to grow as a dancer and performer,” Allegra said.
As they continue their artistic journeys, both students serve as inspiring examples of what can be achieved through passion, perseverance and a willingness to pursue ambitious goals. St Margaret’s is supporting both Emily and Allegra’s goals through the Flyers Program for gifted and talented scholars, artists and athletes.
The program’s support has allowed both students to maintain their academic excellence, and last year they each received an Honours Award at the school’s Speech Night and this year, Academic Pockets at this year’s Academic Assembly.
We look forward to following their future successes and celebrating the many ways they continue to enrich our school community.