The inspiring story of a championship ballroom dancer who defies all the rules to follow his heart.
The cast and crew of this year’s school musical have worked hard to bring to the stage their rendition of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom the Musical.
Almost 70 St Margaret’s students in Years 8-12 were involved in the cast, orchestra pit and behind the scenes, supported by an expert team of passionate and creative staff. Together, they brought the stage show to life, playing to sold out audiences over three shows at La Boite Theatre.
A musical theatre adaptation of the 1992 film, Strictly Ballroom the Musical is the story of maverick championship ballroom dancer Scott Hastings, who defies all the rules to follow his heart when he teams up with left-footed beginner Fran. The uplifting tale follows Scott and Fran’s tumultuous journey to the ultimate ballroom championship: the Pan Pacifics Grand Prix Open Amateur Five Dance Latin American Final. Inspiring each other, the couple find the courage to defy both convention and their families, as they discover that to be a winner, your steps don’t always have to be… Strictly Ballroom. The lead roles were played by Year 10 students Lucinda Sprott as Scott Hastings (made famous by Paul Mercurio) and Ruby Reynolds Campbell as Fran.
Director and secondary teacher Matt Ambrose said the heavily dance-based production was no mean feat, with ballroom dance routines and numerous set and costume changes.
“Jenni Zeelie, a professional dance coach and choreographer, supported by St Margaret’s teacher Katie Sills and Head of Faculty – Arts, Rowena Bracken, prepared the students to master the ballroom dances, including the samba and the paso doble made famous by the show’s two lead characters,” Matt said.
First Assistant Director Georgia McLean said the set and costume changes required considerable coordination.
“There were definitely more costume changes in this production than most musical theatre shows. Shirley Hastings (played by Skye Clifford) had nine changes in total!
“The elaborateness of the ballroom dance costumes, which were adorned in glitter, sequins and feathers, meant the quick costume changes had to be done so with care. We were very fortunate to have a group of teachers and parents stationed in the wings and dressing rooms to assist with the quick costume changes. We also had some wonderful parent helpers who were making costume alterations for us right up until opening night!
“The costumes certainly added a wonderful flair to the production and helped us achieve the drama and pizzazz that Baz Luhrmann is known for,” Georgia said.
Staging a musical production of this size is a huge undertaking and this year’s cast and crew spent just 13 weeks putting the show together, commencing rehearsals midway through Term 4 last year. The leading cast members rehearsed four to five times a week while the dancers and chorus rehearsed three times a week. There were also some weekend rehearsals as well as technical and dress rehearsals for the entire cast in the performance venue.
In the orchestra pit, the performers were accompanied by an ensemble made up of seven students and seven professionals (a mix of teachers at St Margaret’s, one Old Girl and two external musicians) and conducted by Head of Performance and Musical Director Brad King.
Brad said the score was energetic and eclectic with a mix of genres.
“There was a combination of Latin style dance numbers such as the samba and meringue, along with disco classics such as Love is in the Air. Everyone especially loved playing the Latin numbers.
“The most challenging part of playing musical scores in general is the myriad of key signatures and Strictly Ballroom was no exception. Composers seem to love using every key available within a musical production! A favourite with the band was Beautiful When You Dance, which had a Latin Disco feel – the band really enjoyed the jazz harmonies combined with the disco rhythms in the piece.
“Of course, the orchestra absolutely loved having the curtain fall at the opening of the bows so they could play Love is In the Air on stage with the entire cast.
“The students in the orchestra performed brilliantly. In fact, one of the professional musicians who played in our orchestra was the music director for the QPAC production of Strictly Ballroom and he emailed me after the production to say that he would happily perform in a professional orchestra pit with any of the students who were part of the orchestra. It is such a wonderful opportunity for our students to perform alongside professional musicians where they can learn from their experience in a real-world performance setting,” Brad said.
Brad said the school musical is an important event for music students on the school calendar.
“Performing live theatre is a truly magical experience and for students to experience that in a professional theatre is an amazing opportunity.
“Students are taught the power of practice and hard work, they develop resilience, and learn the importance of empathy and cooperation.
“Musicals are also community builders. They bring together staff from different faculties along with an amazing group of parents who assisted with costumes and props, all with the aim of providing students with this very unique opportunity.
“It is also wonderful to see the audience full of Old Girls and past staff members re-connecting with the school community. Musicals always create ‘landmark’ memories for everyone involved, and I believe that students take those memories with them for the rest of their lives,” Brad said.
The set design was conceptualised by Matt Ambrose and First Assistant Director Georgia McLean and designed by visual art teacher Lucy Hulme and teacher aide Claudia Mazzotta. The show was produced by Louise Brown and the digital set projections were created by professional projection designer Justin Harrison, while the costumes were sourced by secondary teacher Grace Shepherd. The show was vocally directed by Stephanie Taylor.
Congratulations to all involved in this year’s hit school musical!