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NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL AFTER ATTENDING OPENING NIGHT OF THE
SCHOOL PRODUCTION ‘AWAY’
I would
like to congratulate everyone of the students and staff
involved in the production of “Away”. My daughter and I
enjoyed it very much. You did a great job of creating a
theatrical and intriguing atmosphere right from the start
with the external lighting and the sense of being “ushered
in” to another world “Away” from the present. The entire
performance gathered the audience in and took us on a
sustained and fascinating ride. We never knew quite what
was happening next. I thought the way the performers
transitioned between being the players and being the story
was masterful and the evenness of the performances was also
most impressive. Melissa, you and the cast did a great job
of maintaining the fiction of age and gender differences
amongst the players. I found myself forgetting the fact
that the players were all school students. Costumes were
fantastic. I was transported back to my youth – a 1960’s
Thomas family holiday was scarily similar to aspects of what
I saw last night.
Sets were
simple, effective and the interplay of music (loved the
music) and light across the seaside background at the end
generated the perfect sense of wistfulness and reflection.
Above all, your cast managed to transport the audience to
another place and take us on a journey of change and
transition. And from where we sat, that was exactly the
point and message of the play. Often, in school
productions, opening night is the time to clear out the
glitches. If there were any last night I was unaware of
them. Lines were delivered at the right pace, with
appropriate emotions and with clarity. I heard every word.
The confidence and skill of the players allowed me to become
relaxed and engaged. The dancers and the interval
performances kept us suspended in the moment and the timing
of all performances enabled both the humour and the pathos
to be felt by the audience. Great work!
Noel
Thomas |
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