"ALICE IN WONDERLAND"

“Alice in Wonderland” was Kolbe Catholic College’s Senior School Production this year and it played several shows, all of which were to sell out crowds. We chose to present this piece of theatre in a somewhat unusual style, Promenade Theatre. So not only did the audience get to observe Alice’s adventures though Wonderland, they also got to be a part of them as they followed Alice on her journey. As you can imagine this style of theatre has required a lot of extra work and commitment from the cast and crew and they have undertaken the task with dedication and enthusiasm. All the students involved from the cast, musicians and backstage crew, have put in an immense amount of time and effort to make this show a success and it is important to note that often, the rehearsal times have been out of school hours.

The feedback from the audience, parents and students (those involved in the project and those that were not) was also extremely positive, with students saying that this would be one thing about their school life that they would never forget.

I would encourage any students interested in the Performing Arts to audition for the 2009 musical performance. The auditions for this musical will be in Term Three this year and will be open to the whole school. Students will be notified via this newsletter and Max’s Mail.

My thanks are extended to The Arts Department, Kolbe Staff, students and parents for their continued support of the Arts Program at Kolbe Catholic College. I applaud these people for their efforts in creating and providing such a wonderful opportunity for the students to be involved in.

Ms Katherine Gauci
Coordinator of Drama and Productions

NIDA TOUR 2008

There have been some exciting things happening in the Drama Program at Kolbe lately, we have been working very hard and having lots of fun too. A selected group of Year 11 and 12 Drama students have just returned from the NIDA Tour in Sydney. We were very lucky to be included in this tour that involved over 150 students from several schools. The students had the opportunity to participate in classes at the world renowned NIDA (The National Institute of Dramatic Arts), which is the same Drama University that Mel Gibson attended. They were also exposed to some fabulous theatre in the evenings and all the students who attended represented the College admirably. I would like to commend the students on their effort and commitment shown, it was a pleasure to spend the week with them. Drama Captain, Sonny Hatton, gives a tour report from a students’ perspective below.

Ms Katherine Gauci
Coordinator of Drama and Productions

On the 19 April thirteen Year 11 and 12 Drama students embarked on a trip to Sydney for this year’s NIDA Tour. After landing in Sydney we were introduced to our home for the week, Barker Lodge. The next day was one of fun sightseeing as we went on an exciting tour throughout Sydney. There were many photo opportunities as we explored the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, Manly, Bondi Beach and Luna Park. We were all very tired from our first day but there was no time for rest.

The following week was dedicated to NIDA workshops, which focused on the dramatic elements of acting, voice, movement and improvisation. Each day we would also work on devising a final performance piece with our core tutor. Each night we were treated to dinner at a local restaurant and performances at a variety of theatres. The highlight of our trip was the Friday night performance of The Rocky Horror Show.

On behalf of all the Drama Students who attended this year’s NIDA Tour, I would like to thank everyone who made this journey possible, especially Ms Gauci and Mr Hedley for coming on the tour with us.

Sonny Hatton
Drama Captain 2008

2008 KOLBE CATHOLIC COLLEGE PRODUCTION - 'ALICE IN WONDERLAND' UPDATE

The Kolbe Senior School Production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is also coming up this term and the Year 11 and 12 Drama students have been working hard at rehearsals. We are using a style of theatre called ‘Promenade Theatre’, which means that each scene in the production will happen in a different area around the school, with the audience following the actors from location to location. This not only allows us to demonstrate Alice’s journey through Wonderland, but also means that we can take advantage of the many beautiful outdoor areas we have at Kolbe. Now we just need to keep the rain away until after the production! Miranda DeBaughn gives you her perspective below on the performance so far. Tickets go on Sale on Monday 5 May from student reception, but they are limited to 100 patrons per performance so make sure you don’t miss out.

Ms Katherine Gauci
Coordinator of Drama and Productions

The College’s production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is well and truly into the final stages of rehearsal. It will be ready for performances on Thursday 22, Friday 23 and Saturday 24 May. All lines are now learnt and our talented students are shining as young actors. Other aspects of the production are starting to fit into place and as a team we are overcoming the challenges associated with ‘Promenade Theatre’.

Closer to the production date the set will start to ‘evolve’ around the school. We would ask Kolbe students not to go near any of the equipment used for the production as it could easily be damaged. We are all very excited to be presenting such a well-loved story in a different and unique way, so hopefully we will see you all there to join Alice on her adventures down the rabbit hole.

Miranda DeBaughn
Year 12 Drama Studies

Cast List

Rehearsal Times

2007 - “CRUISIN’” THE MUSICAL

Cruisin’, a musical set in Australia in 1959, looked at the lives of an immigrant family and their integration into the Australian culture. Cruisin’ was Kolbe Catholic College’s musical offering this year and it played several shows, three of which were sell out crowds.

The musical involved over 60 students from all year groups at the College. Students have worked extremely hard, rehearsing since Term One, to make this a professional and entertaining show and I believe they were completely successful in this endeavour. I know that many students have discovered some hidden talents through this process and several have surprised even me with their level of ability and commitment to this production. I would like to say a big thank you to all the families and friends of Kolbe Catholic College for your support with this event and my personal thanks to the students in the cast, backstage crew and band for the extraordinary time and effort they have all put in for the duration of the project.

Many staff members have also been working tirelessly on this undertaking. In particular I would like to thank the Performing Arts Staff involved, Miss Alisha Stedman, Mr Peter Legg, Miss Anita Musca and Ms Kath Hunter for their huge amount of work on the project. Countless other staff members and parents were also involved in various backstage roles and I would like to say a special thankyou to Mrs Leanne Joyce for her tireless work with the backstage crew and Miss Rose Mascaro who played in the band and has been in Block 7 so often we have voted her an honorary member of the Performing Arts Department!

Involved as a part of the cast, making his stage debut, was our fabulous motorbike rider Mr Matthew Martinovich, who made the perfect 1950s bodgie. For the first time the role of Stage Manager was filled by a Year 12 student, Ben Caunt, who did an outstanding job. I would like to thank all the other staff and students who helped out backstage including three fabulous parents who helped with costumes, Mrs Kathy Cooke, Mrs Brenda Hicks and Mrs Paula Bauer.

The show turned out to be a huge success with over 800 people attending the five performances. The feedback from all was positive especially from people such as Mr Rod Christian and Mr Peter Waterman (the writers), Ms Genevieve Baker (CEO) and Ms Teena Raffa-Mulligan (Sound Telegraph) who included a very complimentary write up in her paper. The primary school students who attended the matinee on August 1 were kind enough to send the cast reviews and pictures outlining their experiences. They were very enthusiastic about the show, giving it a score of 10 out of 10 (and in one case 15 out of 10!). The feedback from parents and students (those involved in the project and those that were not) was also extremely positive, with students who did not audition this time vowing they would not miss out next time! I would encourage any students interested in the Performing Arts to audition for the 2009 musical performance. It is such a huge event and an experience these students will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Make sure to look out for the next big event for the Kolbe Catholic College Arts Department - Arts Week. This will run from September 17 - September 21 2007 and will showcase the works of many of the College’s art students. The program of events will be advertised in the newsletter soon and we hope to see you there.

Ms Katherine Gauci
Drama & Productions Coordinator