By Matthew Sims
A number of students across Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay are gearing up to put on a show as part of the 2022 Victorian State Schools Spectacular.
Held on Saturday, September 10 at John Cain Arena, the event will see Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay students join with about 3000 other students for the first live performance of the show since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Integrating music, dance, giant puppetry, skating, acrobatic and circus acts, the performance will involve musicians and vocalists covering tunes across a wide range of genres and periods, including The Beatles, Kate Bush and Dua Lipa.
Williamstown High School student Amelia McConnell is among the principal vocalists and said she is looking forward to performing for a live audience.
‘Ever since I was young I would always find comfort in singing and performing on stage,” she said.
“Being an artistic person I think it’s important to be able to express your passion by doing what makes you happy – and that is performing for me.”
Braybrook College student Tynan Grech said he is looking forward to performing in the live show.
“I think the COVID pandemic has made me appreciate having the ability to perform in person and especially having the ability to play with other amazing musicians and tutors makes the experience so much more special,” he said.
Williamstown High School Year 10 student James Priday will participate in the event for the first time backstage, being one of the several students helping ensure the audio quality is as high as possible.
‘I am excited to learn how the industry works and if this could be a future workplace for me, I’m excited to learn new and interesting skills and improve on my already existing ones,” he said.
Creative director Neil Gladwin said taking part in the performance will be a unique experience for the participating students.
“Participating students get to experience something very few professionals get to do; perform in an arena and for a TV broadcast,” he said.
Details: www.ticketek.com.au/spectacular
