Arts News 21 March

PRODUCTION UPDATE: Mary Poppins

After a wonderful round of auditions, we were pleased to publicly announce the cast of Mary Poppins on Monday 11th of March. It has been a joy to see the cast getting to know one another and to begin working on this very exciting show. We are also excited to welcome boys from Christ's College, Burnside and Hillmorton in both leading and ensemble roles. 

The junior school classes and the Year 7 and 8 ensembles have started learning their numbers during class time with Ms Goldsworthy and Mrs Wilford. 

We are looking forward to sharing further updates and photographs as the rehearsals progress. We are pleased to share the show's leads, who are supported by a large and varied ensemble that we will feature in future newsletters.

With a show of this size, it will be a mammoth effort to get this show on stage. We would welcome volunteers in the following areas: 

- Sewing bees and costume construction

- Prop sourcing and painting

- Set construction and painting

- Support for longer rehearsals; extra supervision, food roster/donations

If you are interested in supporting the production as a volunteer we would love to hear from you. Please contact Production Assistant, Laura Hewetson: laura.hewetson@stmargarets.school.nz
 

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.

Theatre Fest 2024

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. 

An audition workshop took place this week, and we wish all the best to all students involved in this awesome opportunity.

The Court Theatre - Student Ambassadors

I am super excited about being the Court Theatre Ambassador alongside Lucia Tully this year. My experience in the arts at SMC has been the best experience of my life. The family that you create and the sense of belonging that is created in the art space is something that everyone should be able to experience. The arts at SMC have many different areas and I participate in a lot of them, which I absolutely love. You will never truly know how amazing the arts are at SMC until you fully immerse yourself, and once you do you will never look back. I am looking forward to being an Ambassador as we get to learn a huge amount of things relating to the arts. We get to connect with people in the acting space in Christchurch, and of course, watch the Court Theatre plays. The thing I would say I am the most excited about is the workshops that Lucia and I get to experience. We will learn a lot of new things that we can then bring to SMC so that more girls can experience the theatre world within SMC.

Rhea Wallace

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. 

A fun time with Mr Fungus!

Our year 4 to 8 students enjoyed a physical theatre comedy show with performer Fergus Aitken (a.k.a Mr Fungus) this week, with the year 7 and 8’s also benefiting from a workshop in mime and other physical theatre skills.  It will be wonderful to see our students put into practice the skills they learnt for upcoming performances in Mary Poppins and Showquest!

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 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 here 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!

COMMUNITY EVENTS

The Crucible

We are thrilled to extend a special invitation to your school to join us for an unforgettable theatrical experience. Riccarton Players Inc., under the visionary direction of Alistair Bean, presents Arthur Miller's masterful modern classic, "The Crucible."

Set amidst the gripping hysteria of Salem's witch trials, "The Crucible" delves deep into themes of truth, morality, and the abuse of power. Through compelling performances and dynamic staging, audiences will witness the raw intensity of Miller's characters as they confront oppression and prejudice in a society on the brink of chaos.

In today's world, where truth is often overshadowed by fear and deception, "The Crucible" serves as a beacon of introspection, compelling viewers to confront the complexities of morality and societal hysteria.   Making it a seminal work and a thought-provoking journey that sparks discussion, ignites passion, and illuminates timeless truths.

Don't miss your opportunity to experience the power and intensity of "The Crucible" with us.

We look forward to welcoming you and your students for an unforgettable theatrical experience with our special Secondary School ticket price of $19 each.

Performing 24 April – 4 May 2024.

7.30pm Wednesday – Saturday + Matinee 4pm Sunday 28th April.

The Drama Theatre, 36 Merivale Lane, Merivale, Christchurch

Book online at www.riccartonplayers.co.nz using our booking code:   TCSEC24

Fairystories - Musical at The Piano