Last week’s shows – held in a matinee and evening - prove a love of the arts is still alive and kicking across the local younger population, aged from kindergarten to Year 12. Twenty-five stand-out items from a total of nine schools across the Great Lakes Learning Community hit the stage for two shows in one day – a massive logistical and creative feat. With a collaborative effort of 52 band members, 120 choir members and a well-trained backstage crew of students readying four performance spaces so all the audience had to do was turn their heads, a full program covering song, dance, instrumental, folk, rock, big band, choral, drama, skip rope and even the visual arts was delivered - the latter through the inaugural art exhibition which greeted audiences in the foyer as they made their way into Club Forster’s auditorium. 

“The variety of different skills on show, from the young children through to the highly talented older students, was an inspiration to me and no doubt to everyone else in the building,” David Willard, director of Public Schools NSW said after the event.

“I greatly appreciate the opportunity to be there to witness it all.”

“It is evident that this is a community of schools who are motivated to share in each other’s success and work collaboratively to ensure all students have the opportunity to share in their love of performing arts… Involvement in the arts can be life changing for many of our students.  It is an avenue for them to express themselves, to grow in confidence and a place for them to ‘shine’,” Sue Dawson, Arts Coordination officer said. 

Staging a show this size brings in challenges such as finding rooms large enough to run workshops, finding common time to rehearse together amid days which are already full, and finding the energy to simply do it. 

Funding and time constraints means it’s only held every two years, but everyone rose to the occasion as if they did it every day. 

More photos to follow in coming weeks.