Finn Fagerstrom, Kyle Chapman, Samuel Richardson and Zac Reid will perform 'Barrowed to the Front Line' at the event; a showcase of the best Higher School Certificate performances from NSW.

The quartet will perform daily for six days between February 9 and 15 at Sydney’s Seymour Theatre. 

They were nominated for the event in September and learnt of their selection on Tuesday, November 13.

“To be nominated is one thing but to be actually selected is a whole other ballpark.

“I’m still in disbelief that this is real,” Samuel said.

“It’s quite an honour,” Finn added.

The performance follows a group of boys in a rural country town who have been neglected by the Australian Government during times of war. 

“We’re four boys that are conscripted, we don’t know what’s going on, Australia’s done nothing for us so why should we do something for it,” Samuel said. 

With themes of mateship and ‘fighting for the same cause’, the desired effect would not have been possible without their real-life close friendships.

“It’s phenomenal, we’ve been good friends since year nine when we started doing drama together and now we’re not friends, we’re brothers,” Samuel said. 

“It wouldn’t have worked as a piece if we weren’t as close,” Finn said.

It took the boys about four months to put the performance together.

“After school, weekends you name it we were here (St Clare’s drama room),” Samuel said.

The group had another idea for the performance before their drama teacher Callam Howard provided some unique inspiration.

“Our drama teacher, Mr Howard, came in with a wheelbarrow one day, dropped it and said ‘we’re doing something new’ and it just worked its way from there,” Samuel said.

Finn said the team used the wheelbarrow to create images and concepts that would form the basis of the performance.

The group’s berth at OnStage certainly won’t be curtains on their foray into performing arts. 

Samuel hopes to become a drama teacher.

“My drama teacher (Callam Howard) has been a real inspiration to me for that,” Samuel said.

Finn has an audition with the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) later this month in Sydney.

“That’s where I’d like to go, that sort of direction,” Finn said. 

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