Thank you everybody for your wonderful efforts, not only over the past few days, but for the long journey since around this time last year. I mentioned some key people on Wednesday night but I want to reiterate their efforts, and the efforts of many others, in writing.
The work Doug McKay and Cheryl Martin have done with sets and props has been remarkable. Cheryl has always also been thinking of the so many obvious things that need doing that I don’t think of! Thank you both of you for your late nights and weekends working up at school this term! Not too many of us know about the number of hours you have put in! Thanks also to Jim and Elizabeth Green for the beautiful beach box! Stunning.
We started costuming with Karlene Banfield late last year and she set us on the path to complete this huge task. As circumstances changed we welcomed Becky Barlow on board. Their work with Emma Jenning’s creative ideas and their team of dedicated sewers, cutters, gluers, etc. has again surpassed all expectations. Weren’t the actors’ faces so well made up? Another brilliant effort from Mal Gajdek and Karina Phillips and their team of helpers!
Emma Jennings. What a creative genius! Thank you for your inspired designs for both our costumes and sets. Thank you for the whispers in my ear to ensure everything was ‘shipshape’!
Thankyou to Coby Beatson for her wonderfully warm and creative directing of our senior cast. It was wonderful to see the students enjoy themselves and be so willing to step out of their comfort zones. To watch their growth over the term was very satisfying.
Kristy Foskett and Beth Byrne were always with us when needed. Beth has always been such a great help during all previous productions and continued to be so through this production. Kristy has lived through her first Ferny Creek production and survived. Her assistance with direction on Coby’s ‘days off’ was also a factor to the show’s success.
Tracey Hedger was also with us from the start with prompting the kids and letting us know when and where improvement could be made. Your work as prompt on the nights was again so valuable Tracey. Thanks.
Melody Peterson. Wow! Two days a week as Performing Arts teacher and you prepared our students so well. You created two songs yourself and taught all of the others to every grade. Your choreography of items and arranging ex student Mitch Chapman and Mums Cassie O’Sullivan and Cassandra Waker to choreograph others is another task you completed with terrific results. Thanks choreographers! You managed to form the show band and have them ‘trained’ up beautifully! Music teachers Dean Moore, Evan Lineham, parents Grant Cummerford and Jamie Saxe, and Don Laughton again proved that a live band adds so much to the show. Thank you all.
Carly Massey and Karlee Code and their team of photographers have produced another brilliant ‘album’ reflecting all stages of the production. I have had teachers from our local high school and a local primary tell me that the photography on display was better than anything they have, or ever could, produce. And that was only with viewing the photos in the theatre foyer! Wait until they see all the rehearsal, costuming, backstage and show pictures. We have such a wonderful photographic archive of another great show. We can’t wait for the DVD to be completed. Another wonderful parent in Brian Baker has taken this on board for us again. Thank you Brian.
As we got closer to show week, the pace quickened. Jill was calmly managing the office area with many enquiries and demands. Jane Marsden stepped in to manage the printing of fantastic Paul Gilliot designed souvenir program for no cost to the school. Thank you Jane. Sets and props slowly began to be completed, costumes were tried on, restyled, resewn and tried on again. The kids continued to work hard and we continued to be so pleased with their positive attitude. We had full rehearsals without costumes, dress rehearsals, rehearsals with the band, long all day rehearsals and short sharp rehearsals. We pulled out grades to work with the senior cast, we spent Monday at the theatre. We pushed on to our first
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Photos from Pirates of the Curry Bean are now available.