Arts News 7 March

PRODUCTION UPDATE : Mary Poppins

All the very best to all students taking part in auditions happening over this week! We are all proud of the mahi you are putting into learning lines and songs. It’s a really exciting time and while there are nerves and stepping out of comfort zones for some, we love seeing every single one of you TAKE THE FLOOR and give it your best shot!

A reminder that ensemble auditions are this Sunday, 1pm-4pm in the Auditorium - all year 7-13 students who are keen to be in the show are welcome to come along, no sign up needed.  You do not need to prepare anything, just wear comfy clothes you can move/dance in, water bottle and snacks and your best ‘ready to learn’ attitude!

POSTER COMPETITION:

We are holding a poster design competition to celebrate Mary Poppins, with work displayed at SMC for all to enjoy.
Prizes to be won (more details on that soon!) with the chance to have your work selected as our marketing campaign artwork. So get creative and share your ideas! The sky's the limit!
Submissions close at the end of Term 1!

CREW SIGN UPS:

If you are keen to join the awesome crew that helps bring the show to life, then jump over to the crew sign up form here.  This is open to all Year 11 - 13 students.

SGCNZ SHEILAH WINN SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: Regionals and more competition opportunities!

Our Shakespeare teams are working hard to get their pieces ready for regionals (only one month away!) This year we have four wonderful teams representing SMC in scenes from
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard the Third, Much Ado About Nothing, and Othello.

Throughout the years St Margaret's College has been a stand out competitor at the SGCNZ / Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, gaining awards in Acting, Directing, Ensemble, Costume Design, Essay Writing, and Music Composition!

There are so many great ways to get involved in this prestigious Regional and National Event, including:

SGCNZ/Dawn Sanders Shakespeare Costume

SGCNZ/Morrison Music Trust Music Composition

SGCNZ/ Adam Foundation Static Image Competition

SGCNZ/ Adam Foundation Video Title Card Competition

SGCNZ/Adam Foundation Shakespeare Poster Competition

SGCNZ/Ida Gaskin - With English at Otago Essay Competition

Click the competition links above for more info.

Placed items can go towards achievements for Art Awards.

Pathways for success with Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand

Students who take part in the regional festivals also have the opportunity to be selected for the National Shakespeare in Schools Production week, where 20 students are chosen to be part of the National Shakespeare Youth Company. This company travels to The Globe Theatre every year to take part in two weeks worth of workshops and to tread the boards of The Globe, in front of a public audience. Another branch of this is a programme called Teachers Go Global who travel alongside the Youth Company to take part in workshops geared towards teaching and also perform on The Globe stage. This year we are pleased to celebrate one of our own, who has gained one of the 20 spots open to teachers across Aotearoa.

SMC Old Girl and Drama alumni heading to the Globe!

Georgia Lassen (old girl class of 2022 including Head of Drama, and current Speech and Drama tutor at SMC) has earned one of 20 spots in the prestigious 2024 Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand - Teachers Go Global professional development program. She will spend two weeks in London at The Globe Theatre, learning from some of the very best Shakespearean practitioners and directors. This opportunity will deepen her understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s works, and will equip her with invaluable insights for practical application in the classroom. Georgia is a Speech and Drama Teacher and Drama Tutor at St Margarets, and looks forward to this experience enriching her teaching caliber. 

We offer our biggest congratulations to Georgia on this achievement and opportunity!

THEATRE FEST - Audition Workshop

Blurb here

SPEECH & DRAMA ACHIEVEMENT: Zoe Rea

We are thrilled for Year 12 student  Zoë Rea, who has been successful in receiving the ‘Speech New Zealand Grade Seven Speech & Drama Scholarship’ for 2023. Only one scholarship is awarded at each of the senior grades of the New Zealand Speech Board syllabus. The Scholarship committee felt Zoë was a very deserving candidate and are thrilled to grant her this scholarship.

What an achievement, congratulations Zoë!

UPCOMING SMC Performing Arts Events

We are gearing up for some great performing arts events near the end of term, including our orchestra joining forces with Christ’s College and Rangi Ruru for the Orchestra Extravaganza (3 April) and the annual Twilight Concert in the Charles Luney Auditorium (11 April).
Be sure to come along and support our incredible students and their hard work.

Christchurch Schools Music Festival 2024
REPRESENTATIVE GROUP APPLICATIONS

Representative group applications are also open. Talented singers and musicians from your school can now apply for an audition to join a Representative Group - Junior & Senior Choir, Concert Band, Orchestra. Your school choir does not need to be in the Festival in order for a student to be in a Representative Group.

We rely on schools to ensure that their singers and musicians find out about the Music Festival and are encouraged and assisted to apply for an audition.

Applications are made online on the Festival website and close on the 1st of April. Parents need to make the application so that they are aware of the rehearsal and performance commitments.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could place information about the Representative Groups in your weekly communications with parents/whanau so that all your talented singers and musicians get a chance to not only participate in a life-changing learning opportunity but also to represent your school while doing it.

POSTER COMPETITION

Every year we run a poster competition for schools.  Schools are invited to submit students’ poster designs to the CSMF Poster competition.  The winning poster design will be used for our poster, programme and ticketing to advertise the 2024 Music Festival season.

The theme this year is “E Tu – Hand in Hand”.  Music is around the theme of resilience, strength and standing up to challenges. The theme is linked with the Olympics being on in July in Paris. Some songs will reflect previous performances from past Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. Students, when designing the poster, can include images about being resilient and striving to be the best and winning but they must not include the Olympic rings or any symbols used in the Olympic logos.

The winning artwork will be seen by thousands of Cantabrians and the winner gets $100 and another $100 for their school!

OPPORTUNITY: FREE student tickets for The Piano

The team at The Piano are excited to announce we are aiming to gift 1000 tickets to students  under 25 in 2024. The trustees are committed to nurturing young  people’s musical journey through encouraging them to attend concerts.

In March and April the following concerts are available for student tickets.  Check our website events calendar for more details. 

16 March: Because We Can Recital

20 March: Barton and Brodsky quartet (CMNZ concert)

24 March: Sprit of The Land (Resonance Ensemble)

5 April: Mozart, Pärt, Delius and Stravinsky (CSO concert)

14 April: Daniel Verstappen and Fiona Pears.

21 April: The Violin unwrapped (Play it Forward)

23 April: Morton Trio and Friends (Christopher’s Classics)

28 April: Piano Recital, Lorelle McNaughton (Sundays at Four)

30 April: Rhythm and Brass variety concert

Contact  georgia@thepiano.nz to secure tickets.

PLEASE NOTE: We've made a small change to our ticket reservation policy. Due to a few unused tickets last year, we'll now invoice students for any reserved tickets not collected. This ensures that the tickets we gift are utilized effectively.

Theatrefest

Theatrefest is an annual one act play festival with workshops and events held across the motu run by Theatre NZ, and this year St Margaret’s College will be entering the youth section of the Theatrefest One Act Play Competition for the first time. The regional competitions are held in June and July, with the possibility of being invited to perform at the Regional Showcase or compete in the National Competition later in the year. Last year there were over 50 entries and 33 schools participated. 

Kaiako Ruth Agnew has written a short play specifically for SMC, aiming to showcase the wealth of talent and ability of our students. Soundscape, choral speaking, slam poetry, physical theatre and original music are all features of Ōtautahi Rocks, and our first rehearsals will be run as workshops to integrate ideas and suggestions from the cast as well. 

Rehearsal will be held every Tuesday from 3:30- 5:00 for the whole cast, as well as a weekend workshop at the start of term two, and smaller group rehearsals by arrangement for voice work and movement.

An audition workshop will take place on Tuesday 12 March, 3:30 in the Black Box. If you would like to take part, please put your name on the sign up sheet in WN. We will be looking for strong voices and confident movers, but most importantly, a positive mindset and collaborative, creative spirit.