Drama

'Out Of The Box' Showcase

The St Andrews Drama Showcase was a new addition to the Drama Program in 2025 and was a fabulous opportunity for students in Years 7 to 10 to showcase their talents through devised theatre. Devised theatre asks students to step outside their comfort zones, try new things, and take risks; instead of working from a pre-written script, our students began with a theme — “Out of the Box,” and through improvisation and collaboration, they created original scenes that reflect their ideas, questions, and imaginations.

“Out of the Box” was be performed at Knox Community Arts Centre on Friday the 8th of August at 5:30pm and 8:00pm. Congratulations to the entire cast on a fantastic show, and a huge congratulations to our Drama Captain, Bethany Marshall, for her work in leading the Dance Club, and choreographing their performance in the show.

Year 1 Drama Production: The Little Red Hen

In Grade 1, the Performing Arts theme for Term 3 has been ‘Let’s work together to put on a show!’ The students worked together to learn the short play, ‘The Little Red Hen’, in which the barnyard animals learn that ‘If we all work together, we can make something good!” In Music lessons, the students learned four songs and practised performing them with actions. In Drama lessons, they learned to memorise dialogue and speak with volume and expression, both as individuals and in groups. Students created costumes and props to use in their performance, and rehearsed under stage lights, using a set created by Year 9 Stagecraft students. In Week 8, students were excited to perform ‘The Little Red Hen’ for an encouraging audience of parents and friends. It was wonderful for students to have the opportunity to perform for an audience, and they can be proud of the way they worked together to present a final show.

Drama & Theatre Studies Excursions

Drama and Theatre Studies have gone on a number of exciting excursions this term, including a visit to the Athenaeum in Melbourne for our Year 8, 9 and 10 students to watch “The Play That Goes Wrong”, and Year 11 students visiting the Lilydale Athenaeum to see “The Importance of Being Ernest”. These opportunities to see live theatre are an invaluable part of our students’ theatre education, allowing student to deepen their understanding of the subject and experience professional theatre in action.

Music

Kaboom Percussion

Earlier this term, our Year 4 to 6 students enjoyed a visit from Kaboom Percussion, who put on a fantastic show. Using body percussion, recycled materials, and everyday items, students were able to witness how even the simplest objects can create extraordinary music. This was a highlight for our students, and we look forward to hopefully welcoming Kaboom back in the future.

Victorian Schools Music Festival

In August and September, our Concert Band, Jazz Band, Junior Jazz Band, Vivace Strings, and Pizzicato String ensembles participated in the Victorian Schools Music Festival — one of the major performance events our ensembles work towards each year.

It is a statewide event where schools perform in some of the State’s top venues and receive on-stage feedback from expert adjudicators. This was our most successful year yet, with all of our ensembles receiving a Silver or higher, along with outstanding feedback across the board.

Royal South Street Society Eisteddfod

Additionally, in early September, our Cantabile Winds and Concert Band ensembles represented the college at the prestigious Royal South Street Society Eisteddfod. This was their first ever appearance at the event and was a successful day with Cantabile Winds receiving GOLD for their performance.

Congratulations to all of our ensembles for their fantastic efforts across all competitions, and for the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the adjudicators. 

Ensembles Concerts

Our two Ensembles Concerts on September 15th and 16th were a fantastic celebration of musical talent across both our Orchestral and Contemporary Ensembles, where each ensemble performed a selection of pieces that they have been working on this year. Congratulations to all the students involved and thank you to family and friends who came along to support our young musicians. Thanks also to all the staff who helped to make this event happen, by either directing or conducting an ensemble, assisting with setup/pack up, or by providing backstage/tech support.