Arts News Term 1, Week 7 2026

Hi everyone! My name is Claudia Lassen, and I am thrilled to be the Head of Middle School Arts for 2026. To me, the arts are so much more than just a subject or a hobby. They are the soul of our school’s personality. Whether it’s through the excitement of a show or the quiet focus of a rehearsal or project. Ever since I started at St Margarets as a year 7, I have immersed myself in a wide range of different groups; there is always so much more to explore than you think. The arts allow us to express our true selves, build incredible confidence, and find a community where every voice matters.

At St Margaret’s, we are incredibly lucky to have a vibrant, creative culture that includes everyone's passion. From the high-energy environment of a Middle School Production to various choirs, orchestras, and dance groups, there is a place for everyone to shine. Our school offers such an amazing range of dance studios, drama rooms, art and music studios. However, the real magic happens when new friendships and bonds are formed amongst the creativity. The shared pride of a successful opening night or art exhibition. Whether you are an experienced performer or someone looking to try something new, SMC has the perfect stage to step out of your comfort zone alongside your peers, teachers, and mentors, with support and encouragement. 

We have some extremely exciting events coming up this year! First of all, we have Open Day, which is a great opportunity for students to share what they have been working on during term one. It is a chance for some of the dance and music groups to perform in front of a live audience. 

MUSIC

Twilight Concert

Come and support SMC students who participate in Co-curricular performing arts groups. You will be treated to dancing, singing, instrumental playing and more, showcasing a plethora of styles. This is an opportunity to celebrate the many talents of SMC students who regularly rehearse with a wide range of artistic endeavours.

Tuesday 31 March 4.30-6.30pm in the Charles Luney Auditorium. Free event!

Still Rockin’! 

SMC has another Spotify release for one of our bands and it’s well worth a listen. Steve Fowler has worked on the release with the girls in the Backseats - Alicia An (Vocals/lyrics/music), Charlie Halliday (Music/guitar), Bridie Cottier-McCormick (Drums), Evelyn Cottier-Mc Cormick (Bass guitar) and Sophia Yang (Piano/keys). 

Steve reports that “this one sits squarely in the pop/ rock category. There are nice melodic guitars with a warm sub bass, and some simple but tasty piano lines.”

Good work team!

Backseats - Spotify Link

Chamber Choir workshop

Last Wednesday afternoon the Chamber Choir had the opportunity to work with renowned ex King’s Singers performer Timothy Wayne-Wright. Timothy worked with the choir demonstrating to them some great warm up techniques, vocal blend and using text to portray the message in song. Timothy talked about his experience in the King’s Singers and was so warm and engaging with the students. 

The Kings’s Singers are a British A Cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. The group was originally formed by six choral scholars studying at King’s College, Cambridge, England. The tradition has been continued with six singers and the repertoire has grown and developed to include different styles of music. Christchurch was treated to a performance from the current King’s Singers last week at the Town Hall. 

This was a great experience for the choir to work with someone who leads singers all over the world and we were so lucky to have Timothy workshop the choir.

SENIOR ARTS COUNCIL…gives a perspective on drama.

Welcome to the world of Drama here at SMC. I’m Ida Van Kan, the Head of Drama for this year. There have been several exciting things coming to life over the course of Term 1 so far. Such as the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, our Senior school production, Les Misérables, theatre sports and more! During my time here at SMC, I’ve tried to take part in as many drama-related things as I could, falling in love with it. For those who don’t know what theatre sports is, it’s a variety of drama related improvisation games, that take to the stage and get judged based on how funny it is and how well executed the knowledge of the game is. Theatre sports for both seniors and Middle had a record number of signups this year.

Jess Erasmus - Head of Arts 
Since falling in love with Shakespeare in year 11, I have been so excited to try my hand at directing! This year, I have chosen to direct a 5-minute extract from Shakespeare's tragedy, Antony and Cleopatra. This short excerpt explores motions of loss, love, and longing as Cleopatra confronts a desolate reality. Our cast consists of Mya Kingi and Phoebe Jones, leading the emotional drive and tension by bringing the roles of Cleopatra and The Messenger to life. I cannot wait to watch and celebrate all the hard work from our SMC Shakespeare groups. The Sheilah Winn programme has been something I look forward to annually, as it is such a rewarding and enriching part of the Arts at SMC.

Lena Abdinor - Head of Debating 
The 15 minute Shakespeare scene this year is The Winter’s Tale, and it is coming along amazingly! The story follows the jealous King Leontes (played by our amazing head of arts, Jess Erasmus) as he accuses his wife, Hermione (played by the talented Rose Martin) of cheating on him with his best friend. Leontes puts the pregnant Hermione on trial, which is where our scene focuses. We follow the emotions of Leontes and Hermione as she is discovered innocent, and Leontes is confronted by Paulina. From loss to grief to anger, this scene is an emotional rollercoaster, supported by a talented ensemble of statues along the way. Our SMC Shakespeare Showcase is on the 21st of March from 3-3.45, come along and watch The Winter’s Tale!

Phoebe Jones -  General Council       
At the moment, we are well into the rehearsal period for our combined senior production with Christ’s College, Les Misérables, and it’s all coming together. Set in 19th-century France, Les Misérables follows a story of hope, love, and courage as ordinary people fight for a better future. Students from year 11-13, and a few younger cast members, are currently working hard to put on an unforgettable season of shows. With countless hours of work going into this extraordinary show, not only from the actors onstage, but behind the scenes as well, this won’t be one to miss! Tickets will be on sale soon, so keep an eye out.

A film screening coming to a venue near you!

Tiri Te Araroa, Woman Far Walking - 6 May 4-5.30pm Charles Luney Auditorium

Tiri Te Araroa - Woman Far Walking

We have secured a free screening of the Auckland Theatre Company's incredible production of Tiri Te Araroa Woman Far Walking, which is an update to Witi Ihimaera's original by Katie Wolfe. This updated version weaves both Te Reo Māori and Te Reo Pākehā and responds to the current world, or as Witi has put it, reawakens his characters to respond to the world. 

Auckland Theatre Company have professionally filmed last year's live performances and have released it as a Digital Classroom offering. We are very fortunate to have an incredible opportunity for both staff and students to view this work; especially Drama, Dance, Te Reo Māori and English students. Due to its thematic content it is an excellent professional development opportunity for the wider staff walking the bi-cultural journey of the school too!

VISUAL ART

Artistic Perspectives: Year 9s Reimagining SMC

Our Year 9 Visual Art students have been seeing the world and our campus through a brand-new lens! Taking inspiration from the silhouettes of world-renowned artist Paperboyo, the class created personalised kowhaiwhai die-cut New Zealand animals to create a series of clever forced-perspective photographs. By strategically situating these cut-outs within the SMC environment, students used scale and composition to transform familiar school landmarks into imaginative narratives. It has been a fantastic artistic exercise, proving that a little shift in perspective can change everything.

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

Our Tech Clubs are officially in full swing! It’s been wonderful to see students stepping out of their comfort zones to learn something new or deepening their expertise in specialised fields.

Creative Station is a new addition this term. Students have been busy designing and producing their own custom stickers. The process hasn't been without its hurdles, but the group did an excellent job troubleshooting software installations and file downloads to get the job done.

Tech Solvers comprises a small, dedicated team of students who are available to help both students and staff navigate "techy" frustrations. Beyond troubleshooting, they have been producing a library of how-to videos, including guides on mastering colour printing and setting up email filters.

Tech Terras in 2026 has moved to Tuesday after school.  

This keen group of students have been working on Digital Portraits and Word Art. They are becoming more familiar with iPad pencils by creating silhouette portraits of themselves, and filling with their own descriptive words.

Come and check out their portraits and collages on the window of WS101.

Robotics in the Junior School - We have now hosted the Inaugural Y5/6 Robotics competition. Students worked together to create coding solutions to complete a range of challenges from travelling around the Moon, pushing objects out an arena and manoeuvering up and over a ramp.

Engineers - these girls are our Future. Some made their own wheelchair, while others created an aerodynamic helicopter, complete with hoist and a fire engine with lights and siren. One task was to create a free standing structure (a rig) with 4 pulleys and ropes to manoeuvere their rescue helicopter from the mountains to the hospital.

DEBATING

Huge congratulations to Year 13 team Kākāpō who are the Canterbury Senior Regionals winners for 2026, and to Orla Miller who, for the second year, has been selected for the Canterbury team to compete at Nationals in Wellington in May.  Orla also took out the Best Speaker of the tournament and Sneha Datla received a Highly Commended certificate.  Awesome job also to Lily Fowler who is the best reserve ever! She was an excellent first speaker in the winning team throughout all 8 debates, despite only ever being a reserve debater over the past 4 years. 

Senior Regionals were held over two huge 10-hour days at UC, with 7 SMC teams competing. 

Team Kakapo took the win, beating a team from Rangi Ruru in the final, negating the notion that it would be in Europe’s best interests to give Greenland to the US.  Before that, they beat Christ’s College. It was wonderful to have an all girls final on International Women’s Day. 

Lena’s team won 4 debates of the 6 rounds, narrowly missing the break, our other teams won 3, 3, 2, 2 and 1. We are so proud of you all!

MIDDLE SCHOOL ARTS COMMITTEE

The arts committee has been formed and is now up and running. The interviews took place with over 30 students and as a result, 20 students have gained a place. There were lots of creative ideas as part of this, so we look forward to bringing you lots of exciting events throughout the year for both middle school and junior students. The students will also work closely with their big Sisters on the Senior Arts Council.

OPPORTUNITIES

Lions Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival

Our choir is excited to be part of the Lions Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival this year.  The Festival is still looking for more applications to audition for one of the Representative groups.  They are looking for the best singers for the Junior Choir (Yr 5 & 6) and Senior Choir (Yr 7 & 8), and for talented musicians (Grade 3 equivalent and above) to audition for the Orchestra and Concert Band. 

The audition process takes only 5 minutes and each student is auditioned individually. Information on what is required in the audition is on our website.

The Representative groups are on stage in the Christchurch Town Hall for every performance of the Festival (4 nights).  With more than a thousand people in the audience and 900 children in the choir stalls watching every night, it is an amazing experience they will never forget.

To find out more information or to register your child, click here:

Lions Chch Schools' Music Festival Link

Be quick, registrations close 01 April.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

Shakespeare Showcase - 21 Mar

Sheilah Winn Festival - 28 Mar

Twilight Concert - 31 Mar

Orchestral Extravaganza - 29 Apr

Film screening - 6 May

Les Misérables production - 12-16 May