College – Issue 31

see and what you hear is all down to the cast and crew, no adults involved.’’ Production manager Ms Robyn Peers says “brilliant’’ performing arts teams from both schools made the production such a success. “The performing art faculties at both schools work really well together,’’ she says. “Both are excellent, but when combined, we are unstoppable. Some of the company have been working together for four years and they all really gel. “We are also lucky to have such generous sponsors who enable us to achieve such high levels of production.’’

The music of Madness

The music written by the 1980s band Madness provided an excellent basis on which to build the show Our House, says the production’s musical director and conductor Nick Sutcliffe. “Many of the songs were familiar to both students and audience, and we all found the tunes rather catchy - often heard being sung or hummed by boys wandering around the school,’’ he says. “We were very fortunate to have a live band made up of students to play the music for the show. They did a superb job and it gave the actors on stage a quality experience of singing with a band.’’ Rehearsals for the music started from the first day of auditions in February with group singing and continued right up to the moment before the curtain opened on the first night. Learning so many songs to be sung by memory is no easy task, and the cast did a great job, he says. “The lead roles of Joe, Sarah, and Dad all had a large number of solos to sing and they did a fabulous job at presenting these songs with such conviction. It was a huge pleasure to work with such a fine bunch of students and staff to put this musical together.’’

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College Issue 31 2016

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