Arts News Term 1, Week 9

OPEN DAY  
Our recent Open Day showcased our talented Performing Arts students and our Kapa Haka Rōpū. The morning shone a spotlight on various groups and opportunities that are available to our students here at St Margarets. As guests walked into the auditorium, they were greeted by our senior singers and were finally able to get their feet tapping to a rendition of Sweet Child O Mine by Guns n' Roses from one of our amazing bands. Kapa Haka, the Senior Dance Company and the A Cappella choir filled the auditorium with energy and enthusiasm. Everyone enjoyed a fantastic morning. 

CALLING ALL TECHIES!

The tech clubs at SMC have started and are well underway.
See the timetable and details. Try your hand at the Code Club 3.40-5pm on a Thursday.

ARTIST OF THE TERM      
Junior Artist:
Evie Blakely has been awarded Junior Artist of the Term for her fantastic progress and skill development. Her Julian Opie-inspired self-portrait showcases great attention to detail and refinement, while her consistently well-presented workbook is up-to-date and documents her artwork well.

Middle School Artist:
Lydia Edmonds - Lydia's artworks, exploring the theme of ‘self in the environment’, showcase strong compositions and excellent use of media including pencil figure studies, acrylic painting and watercolour, all while demonstrating a consistently positive and enthusiastic approach to learning new skills.

Senior School Artist:
Maddison Elstob is creating outstanding work in both L2 Painting and Printmaking. She has demonstrated remarkable skill and depth in her explorations of utopia and dystopia, through her drawings and prints. It will be exciting to see her ideas and folio work continue to develop as the year progresses!

Cushion Cabaret  - We were treated to some awesome, entertaining acts at the Cushion Cabaret at lunchtime on Tuesday, hosted by the very capable Arts Council members Jess and Georgie. There were many singers including two sets of singing Sisters Alice and Lucy Penney and Lucia and Susanna Tully, then Scarlett Tauok (Y9), Briar Sharp (Y10), Lena and Chloe (Y11), Jess and Tessa (Y12)  and Alicia, Charlie, Sophia, Bridie (Y10) performed an original song with their band.         

Other highlights included Yr 7 student Phoebe He, who was Irish dancing and Emba Copeland (Y10), a contortionist/gymnast. The cabaret also featured some dramatic acts -  MS Theatresports team comprised of Florence Cottier-McCormick, Bridie Cottier-McCormick, Cece Acland and Charlie Rose-Powell and improvised drama featuring Libby, Cordelia, Alex, and Xanthe (Y8).  It was a shame that the weather wasn’t as much fun as the girls were that day, so hopefully, we’ll be outside next time!

MIDDLE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The Middle School Committee is now in full flow and will be hosting their first creative event, arranged for the Junior school. They will be leading an Easter card colouring session on Tuesday 1 April from 1-1.30pm for Yrs 4-6 and Thursday 3 April 1-1.30pm Yrs 1-3 in WN 207 (Black Box). Come along and bring all your friends!

SENIOR ARTS COUNCIL
Drama at St Margaret’s is ramping up to be a very exciting space to watch! The girls have been working very hard behind the scenes, and they are all looking forward to taking the stage in the near future. Particularly, the Shakespeare groups are super excited to perform and compete at the end of this term. The year 7-13 girls, divided up into four different scenes, are all looking forward to sharing their love of Shakespeare and theatre at the competition next week. We wish them all the best and look forward to hearing how they perform!

As well as Shakespeare, our school production of The Ash Girl has begun rehearsals! This year, drama production from 11-13 is coming to fruition, and casting is complete! This year’s production is a dark twist on the classic Cinderella story, and I look forward to seeing the performance later next term. If you’d like to be involved, there are still opportunities to take part in the backstage crew - and I highly encourage those who are interested to sign up! Being involved in the Drama community at SMC is such a fun space to be a part of. See more from the Director below.

In addition to this, some of our girls have extended their passion for Drama beyond the school gates. I would love to give a shoutout to Tessa de Wit, Rose Martin, Cordelia Jones, Libby Foulds, Maia Homer, Scarlett Gardner, Matilda Abbott, Phoebe Jones, Alice Penney, Lucy Penney, Sissy Evans, Juliet Borst and Caroline Shallcrass. This long list of girls are all involved in upcoming productions outside of school, and I’m super excited to see their passion for drama and theatre shared with the Christchurch community. Stay tuned for more information to see these girls in action!

I am very excited to see so many girls participating in Drama this year, whether that’s in class, outside of class, or in the community! The enthusiasm, passion, and dedication to Drama is amazing, and with such a vibrant group of girls, the stage is set for a spectacular year!

Alice Penney, Head of Drama

Senior School Production -  from Helen Moran, Director      
This year’s senior drama production is THE ASH GIRL by Timberlake Wertenbaker. A diversion away from musicals, this beautiful play is an imaginative contemporary, psychologically profound interpretation of the Cinderella story, exploring a girl’s journey to self-acceptance and embracing who she is. THE ASH GIRL offers multiple complex and colourful characters for around 20 of our talented young actors to explore, and they will be joined on stage by dancers who embody aspects of the dream world in which it is set. The story works on multiple levels, being colourful entertainment for the young and an opportunity for dreaming and reflection for everyone.

I have worked professionally in Christchurch theatre since 1990(!), and my most recent foray onto the stage was as the Duchess of York in Richard III. The production is a collaboration with other artists working at SMC - Candice Cain, choreographer, and textile artist, Kerry-Anne Murnane. 

St Margaret’s offers a stunningly rich artistic context for the students and the bringing into being of a production. The girls have deep commitment, courage and wonderful training, and it is amazing to have colleagues in the dance and costume areas who are innovative creative artists in their own right. And what a luxury to have the support of all the drama specialists and an amazing producer!

Playing at the CLA for 3 nights in June (Tuesday 24th - Thursday 26th), this is entertainment that is not to be missed!

DRAMA
Year 12 Drama Delivers Powerful Performance from The Crucible!

Our Year 12 Drama students captivated the audience with their intense and moving performance of a pivotal scene from Arthur Miller's The Crucible. The students brought to life the fraught and feverish atmosphere as the girls faced the growing suspicion and accusations of witchcraft. Their dedication and skill were evident as they navigated the complex emotions and dramatic tension of this iconic scene.

The Crucible is a widely studied play, a staple of NCEA Level 2 Drama courses across New Zealand, and our students demonstrated a deep understanding of its themes and characters. Their performance was a testament to their hard work and talent, and we are incredibly proud of their achievement. 

A SPECIAL SHAKESPEARIAN INVITE from Ms Herd
Dear Shakespeare lovers - you are invited to come along this Sat 29th March to watch our Shakespeare Festival entries dress rehearsal in the CLA at 2pm.

It would be a great way to see the hard work our students have put in. There are four scenes, 2x 15 and 2x 5 mins. There are 38 students involved from Year 7 - 13. 

It is a full dress tech so it will be amazing to have an audience. Run time will be approx 45 mins.

Parents, friends and family are coming and all are welcome. 

A photographer will be there to take photos and the students who are being assessed on this for Achievement Standards will be filmed.

I know Saturdays are precious, so I totally understand if you can’t make it! 

Poster by Lily Cook

TREADING THE BOARDS
Last weekend saw the final scripted show on the Court Theatre mainstage at The Shed, before the Court Theatre makes its big move back to the central city. This special performance of Moisés Kaufmann’s ‘The Laramie Project’ featured some familiar SMC faces; year 12 student Emily Davis, old girl Makayla Hulme, and Kaiako Megan Herd and Ruth Agnew. What a theatrical triumph, to have such a strong SMC contingent in the cast. 

Expect to see more SMC talent in the Court Theatre’s new location; Tessa de Wit, Matilda Abbott and Phoebe Jones are all in the youth production of ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ coming up in May.

CELEBRATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Sophie Symons-Edwards (Yr 13) has been successful in receiving the Ciara O’Donnell Award for Speech & Drama Grade Eight Scholarship 2024. 

The Gillian Carpenter scholarship went to Yr 10 student Juliet Young (Yr10) for Grade 5. 

Tyra Zhang (Yr 10) received the Melda Townsley Award for Excellence in the use of language and expression in Speech & Drama Scholarship for Grade 5, 2024. Congratulations to all three girls.

FURTHER PERFORMING ARTS OPPORTUNITIES
The Marlborough Performing Arts Competition Society has announced its dates for 2025. The syllabus covers: Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Jazz, Acro, Hip Hop, PACANZ, as well as Vocal and Instrumental.  The competition offers young people the experience of performing on a full size professional stage at their venue ASB Theatre in Blenheim. 

For the 2025 competition, they will be offering nominations for the 2026 Young Performer of the Year: PIANOFORTE, BALLET, TAP DANCING, VOCAL, TROUPES.

Dates for Fancy Dancing 2025 at the ASB Theatre Saturday 27th September - Tuesday 30th September inclusive.

Dates for Instrumental/Vocal (Whitehaven Wine Room at ASB Theatre) Friday 26th September (night)  5pm- 9.30pm, Saturday 27th September all day. 

"All Eyes On Me"
James, a 16 year old student at Hagley College, has been working on a juke-box musical called "All Eyes On Me" for the past year. This musical will help to raise money and awareness for youth mental health. 

The Jukebox Musical follows the journey of Robert, a man grappling with bipolar disorder, as he navigates love, loss, and self-discovery. It's a raw and emotional exploration of mental health, highlighting the complexities of living with bipolar disorder, the impact of personal loss, and the quest for redemption and self-understanding.
All Eyes On Me’s season will be between 28 Jun - 12 Jul 2025, Performing 9 shows. The shows will be performed in the Hagley Auripo Auditorium.