“Children are born to be challenged, they are hugely creative and incredibly resilient and the young performers who make up this cast are great examples of that. The skills they learn and the memories they make this week will live with them forever”.
Welcome to Seussical the Musical, our 13th and final production of a fantastic 2017. It was always my intention to finish the year on a high with so many great shows and stories written over the past twelve months. This action packed, high energy, production has challenged us all to “THINK” differently about what can be achieved with ambition, hardwork and some of the most talented people you will ever meet.
It’s been just over 12 weeks since the auditions took place, with more students than ever before putting themselves through a gruelling selection process. A large panel sat through fantastic audition after audition, with the overall standard at an all time high. The decisions made on casting where some of the hardest decisions I have had to make during my career, and telling children and young people that, despite their hard work and effort, they haven’t been chosen, is the one part of my job I really don’t like. But, tough decisions are part of life and are certainly a part of theatre life; yet watching the student’s professional responses to their feedback continues to make me very proud and very humble.
As always, the cast is full of fresh new faces, both in leading roles and the ensemble, adding great depth to a cast of over 100 performers and further emphasising the array of talent that we have at our disposal. As you can imagine, it has been really tricky to involve everyone and at times I have found myself thinking that a cast of 50 may have been a better idea. However, our reputation has been built on “doing anything the way we do everything” and that is the right way.
Combining performers of all ages and abilities is a difficult balancing act. But the experience becomes incredibly rich because of it, and the students learn so much from each other, I believe it is worth the added pressure and hard work. Imagine still being in primary school and being personal friends with the coolest kids in the high school you are eventually going to.
The students often talk about each other as family and share a bond similar to that of brothers and sisters. They support each other and laugh together when the times are tough. They congratulate each other on their successes and are mindful of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I would argue that, creating this culture, is the Artz Centre’s greatest achievement. We continue to strive for excellence and continue to push the boundaries of what we believe is possible.