Arts News Term 4, Week 2

PERFORMING ARTS 2025 TOUR

We are excited to advertise the 2025 17-Day Performing Arts Tour to the United Kingdom. This trip will allow students to view live dance, drama and music performances, including West End Shows. Students will have backstage access to spaces like The Globe Theatre, The National Theatre, and The Royal Opera House and also take part in a range of workshops from Stage Combat and Musical Theatre to DJ-ing. The group will tour major historical sites around London and travel to Stratford-Upon-Avon to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace and a full day visit to the Harry Potter Studios at Leavesden. 

This trip will be packed full of opportunities to experience the performing arts world on a large scale and enrich their learning in their areas of interest. 

Dates: 14 September 2025 - 30 September 2025

Tour Company: Tour Time

Trip Leader: Amanda Woods

If you are interested in finding out more information about this trip, we welcome all parents and students who are between Years 10 - 12 this year [will be Years 11 - 13 in 2025] to attend an information evening, where you will be provided with a presentation on the trip including the approximate costs and payment plan, information booklet and be able to ask questions:

Date: 29th October 2024

Venue: Ngaio Marsh Theatre - enter via Maggie’s stairs

Time: 5.30 - 6:15pm

Please fill out this form if you are interested in going on the trip and will be attending the meeting. Also, if you can’t attend the meeting but would be interested in the information: Expression of interest in attending information evening 

CONGRATULATIONS TO CJAY HORREY AND SOPHIE BROWNLIE ON MAKING THE SGCNZ YOUNG SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

Each year, 24 of New Zealand's most talented young actors are selected from the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand's National Shakespeare in School's Production (NSSP) to form the SGCNZ Young Shakespeare Company. 

In the Term Three holidays CJay Horrey and Sophie Brownlie attended NSSP. From this group of 48 young people they were selected to be part of the Young Shakespeare Company for 2025. 

Next year, Cjay and Sophie will travel to the Globe Theatre in London and participate in an exciting and comprehensive programme, including workshops, talks, and behind-the-scenes at the Globe, Rose and National Theatre and watch performances. Over the two weeks in London, they will have rehearsals with a Globe Director in scenes from one of Shakespeare's plays, and most exciting of all, they will tread the boards in a public performance on the bard's stage. 

Congratulations to CJay and Sophie on this wonderful achievement. We wish you all the best as you #takethefloor in London.

REFLECTIONS ON NATIONAL SHAKESPEARE IN SCHOOLS PRODUCTION: CJAY HORREY
I was privileged enough to attend The National Shakespeare School’s production in Dunedin during the October holidays. This has been a dream of mine for three years and I was so excited. The week was an absolute dream. There were 48 of us from all over New Zealand. We stayed at Tolcarne Boarding House in Dunedin for nine days. During those days, we participated in many workshops run by professional actors, dancers, and directors. The workshops were engaging and I learnt so much that I then used them over the week. 

We were then split into three groups where we performed a 45-minute version of one of Shakespeare’s plays. I was in Macbeth, playing Banquo. My group was all so amazing. They are friendly and supportive and always put 100% effort into everything they do. I think that was one of the best parts of the week. Every single person wanted to be there and everyone put their best foot forward. Despite some setbacks from the rain, we performed our plays at the end of the week to an audience of our peers, families, and friends. It was such a wonderful experience and I know I will hold onto those memories and friendships forever. 

A week later, I received the phone call that I had been selected as one of twenty-four to be a part of The Young Shakespeare Company, which will be going to London for two weeks in June/July next year and will perform on The Globe Theatre Stage. NSSP was genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever done and I’m so excited to get to go to London next year. I cannot stress how impactful the SGCNZ Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival is. The friends it’s brought me and the absolute passion I’ve gotten to explore through it have changed my life. St Margaret’s has competed in this festival for years and has always achieved great things. I’m so excited to see what the younger girls will do with the festival in years to come. 

REFLECTIONS ON NATIONAL SHAKESPEARE IN SCHOOLS PRODUCTION: SOPHIE BROWNLIE
When I arrived at the Tolcarne Hostel and saw the most amazing view of Dunedin, I knew that the next week would be absolutely amazing. I was also terrified that I wouldn’t make any friends and would have to spend the week either in my room or attached to the hip of India, whom I was already friends with, but I was completely wrong. When we first met our director, Ben Ashby, our Much Ado About Nothing cast clicked instantly. We all became extremely close with each other, making the whole experience more spectacular. 

I was very anxious when we were first given our characters to portray for the week. I was given the role of Beatrice #1. This scared me as I had never played a lover before and was always the comedy relief, but I knew Ben would not have given me the role if he thought I couldn’t do it, so I had to trust him. Rehearsals were my favourite part of the whole week because I got to know my cast mates even better. Because the Much Ado About Nothing cast was very close, acting together was a blast. We all learnt lines together in the bread room and helped each other with blocking, makeup and making our masks. I also became very close friends with people outside of my cast. No one stayed with a certain group of people, and whenever we had to find partners, there was a different partner each time. 

NSSP was a place where I felt like I could be myself and I didn’t have to act a certain way for people to like me. This was an extremely welcoming feeling and it led me to being more confident in myself and my ability as an actor and as a person. The days were filled with excitement, tiredness (because we all stayed up late talking), and eagerness to get on with the day ahead. When we weren’t rehearsing, Dawn had the days packed full with workshops and other activities. The workshops that were led by various different tutors were amazing to be a part of. I am very grateful to have been able to learn from such wonderful people and be able to pass along their knowledge to others I know will be just as grateful as I am. We also had a performance evening called “What You Will” where everyone could perform anything they liked. This was a very nerve racking experience for me as it happened on the second day and everyone was only just getting to know each other, but it helped us bond even more. My favourite activity that we did was the “Mystery Tour”. We went on tours around The Regent Theatre, The New Athenaeum Theatre and even got a tour around Larnach Castle, where we had dinner. We also got to sit in and watch a rehearsal of “Twelfth Night” at the Globe Theatre, which was wonderful to watch and learn the different techniques that could be useful in blocking scenes. All of these activities and workshops were very beneficial and I am excited to use my new knowledge and skills. 

On the final Saturday night, we all decided to stay up until the sun came up. Unfortunately, I fell asleep for a little bit but just as the sun started rising I was awoken to complete and utter silence. Everyone was in awe of the beautiful sunrise and some (including me) were in tears, fighting sleep but also admiring the view and the most amazing week we had spent together. Thank you to everyone that was involved in NSSP, Dawn, the tutors, all the directors and especially thank you to my new family. The friendships I have made will last forever and I love them all very much. Anytime I think about NSSP I smile but then am almost brought to tears, thinking I will never get to experience something that amazing again. Those eight days were the best days of my life and I am grateful that I got to experience them with amazing people. 

Winning Success at Country Music Awards
Year 9 student Briar Sharp has had more success in her journey at the NZ Country Music Awards. After competing in the Junior Arapera (Auckland) Country Music Awards, where she won the Junior Category, she then qualified to compete in the final, held in Rotorua (called ‘Entertainer of the Year).

Performing at the Sir Morrison Theatre with a live backing band, Briar competed in the Junior section against other Juniors who had qualified from around NZ. There was a panel of 5 judges, including Dame Linda Topp, and they had to perform two songs of their choice.
At the end of the night, Briar was awarded the top Junior section Award - Entertainer of the Year!

Her other awards throughout all the events have also entitled her to compete in Tamworth, NSW at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January 2025.

What an incredible achievement Briar! 

ARTS SOIREE
Mamma Mia! Here we go again!
It was a night fit for the Dancing Queens (and Kings!) that we are as we celebrated the year that was The Arts at SMC.
The Jazz band kicked off the evening with some high-energy ABBA hits while the dance floor filled with enthusiastic participants!  We enjoyed a very tasty Greek-inspired spread and listened to some wonderful, heartfelt speeches from our ‘head of areas’ leaders, including a summary of the year by Arts Prefect Amy Jones, topped off by an emotional and beautiful performance with her younger sister Phoebe, singing “Slipping Through My Fingers”.
The karaoke and dancing continued while the photo booth captured the memories.
A Super Trooper of a night!

Thank you to all the students and staff involved in making this year’s Arts Soiree a great success! 

CHALK DRAWING
Another amazing initiative from our Middle School Arts Committee, who organised chalk drawing for the junior school on the day of Arts Soiree. It was lovely to see the big sister and little sister relationship on display as the girls enjoyed the sunshine and decorated the quad with Mamma Mia themed images. 

Thank you to the Middle School Arts Committee for their enthusiasm in organising this opportunity. 

PUFFS
Excitement is building as we near the opening night of the Year 9 and 10 Combined Production of Puffs with Christ’s College. Students from both schools have been working hard to bring this fun and magic filled show to the stage. Fans of the ‘boy who lived’ novels will love the references and running jokes woven throughout. 

You can purchase your tickets here: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/puffs/christchurch 

About the show: For seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs… who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.

In this hilarious parody of a familiar story, three potential heroes are just trying to make it through a magic school that proves to be very dangerous for children. Alongside them are the Puffs, a group of well-meaning, loyal outsiders with a thing for badgers. Their epic quest takes the classic story to new places and reimagines what a boy wizard hero can be.

We can’t wait to see our students #takethefloor in the Old Boys Theatre between the 5th and 9th of November.

SENIOR SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION
We welcome all to come and view the work our Senior Arts students have created this year.
It’s always wonderful to witness the creativity and mahi put into their subjects, and to see a body of work together in the Atrium. 

SMC Old Girl’s Atrium
Tuesday 29th November
4:00pm - 5:30pm

MUSIC SHOWCASE 
Photos from our Music Showcase are now available online for purchase through Smugmug.
Click the link below to check out the whole evening's snapshots!

https://petramingneau.smugmug.com/MUSIC-ARTS-SHOWCASE/n-m39NXH

Christchurch School Music Festival
This week the Town Hall comes alive with the sound of children all across Otautahi, performing in the annual Lions Christchurch School Music Festival.

Lead by SMC alumni Rachel Wilford, this event truly celebrates the magic and power of music, and the coming together. This years theme “E tū – Hand in Hand” showcases songs from all over the globe, including Olympic themes, Songs for movies such as Brave and Zootopia, and waiata of our own.
Well done to all the students from years 5, 6 and 7 who have been working hard this year to learn all the songs and performance skills for this very special event.
Thank you to all the teachers, staff, and parents who helped support this event. I particularly heartfelt thank and praise Mrs Wilford for her incredible work conducting and managing such a huge event that benefits so many in our community. 

AUDITION NOTICE:
We are excited to announce The Court Theatre has opened applications for our 2025 Youth Company and Jesters Youth Company. These are awesome training grounds for students passionate about theatre and performance who want to further their skills and connections to the industry. Students also get invited to the Dress Rehearsals of all shows in the seasons plus lots of other perks!

We are also pleased to announce that in 2025 we will be bringing back Youth Crew! Training with our Youth Crew provides the foundational skills required in different crew/design roles and can lead to casual employment or other opportunities at The Court Theatre. Students are taught by industry professionals and sessions have a focus on practical application.

I would love it if you could pass this information on to any students/your network who you think may be interested in applying for one (or both) of these companies and/or Youth Crew. I have attached a several posters for you to pass around digitally or to print out and pin up on school notice boards.

We have a scholarship program and can offer assistance to eligible candidates who apply. Please see HERE about the scholarships we offer.

We want to see a wide range of talented young people as we have a very exciting programme planned for 2025!

The 2025 Youth Company applications close 26th November and the Audition weekend is the Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December. The link below gives the information for the audition process and has the application form. This company is for training in acting and performance skills relating to theatre.

https://courteducation.org.nz/youth/youth-company/apply-for-the-court-youth-company/

The 2025 Jesters Youth Company applications close 26th November and the Audition workshop will be Sunday 1st December. The link below gives the information for the audition process and has the application form. This company is for training and upskilling in Improvised Theatre with opportunities to work with our Court Jesters.

https://courteducation.org.nz/youth/jester-youth-company/audition-for-the-jester-youth-company/

The 2025 Youth Crew applications close 26th November with successful applicants being notified 6th December. The link below gives information for the application process and for registering in your area of interest – Costume, Lighting, Sound, Props, or Stage Management.

https://courteducation.org.nz/youth/youth-crew/apply-for-youth-crew-2025/

Let me know if you have any queries about any of this and we hope to see some of your students auditioning.

Noho ora mai,

Ben Limmer

(Education and Engagement Manager)

KEEN SINGERS WANTED
Luminaires is excited to announce a family concert and arts market on 8th December and we are seeking enthusiastic singers to join our mass ensemble!

If you are aged 7-25, love to sing and enjoy working with a team of like-minded peers then we'd love for you to join us.

Click on the link below to find out more and to register your interest!

https://forms.gle/t9NiBe8CiV7MaeMm6

Email: luminairescharitabletrust@gmail.com