Centrestage 2023

CENTRESTAG Co-Curricula

Program

r Drama Sho wcase 2023

E

Years 3 to 12

Filmmaking

Monday 27 November, 6.00pm

Drama Theatre

Years 5 to 11

Improvisation and Theatresports

Tuesday 28 November, 6.00pm

Drama Theatre

Years 2 to 6

Drama Showcase

Wednesday 29 November, 5.00pm

GMCPA

Year 7 to 12

Drama Showcase

Thursday 30 November, 6.30pm

GMCPA

CENTRESTAGE WELCOME CO-ORDINATOR’S WELCOME MISS SARAH BOYD

DRAMA PREFECT’S WELCOME - AASHNA RANA (YEAR 12)

Welcome to the 2023 Co-curricular Drama Showcase, Centrestage! Taking place over four evenings in Week 8, our Years 2 to 12 Co-curricular Drama students are beyond thrilled to perform for you, offering you an insight into the works they have been completing during the year.

In line with our motto, ‘2024 Take the Floor’, I would highly encourage all students interested in developing their dramatic skill set, enhancing their confidence or making new friends to register for the 2024 Co-curricular Drama program which has been tailored to suit the needs of all dramatic abilities. Amongst our state-of-the-art facilities, all students will have the opportunity to take part in either our Performance Stream, consisting of Eisteddfod Drama (audition only), or our Onstage Stream including theatresports, filmmaking, advanced skills (invitation only), skills and performances and musical theatre led by highly experienced coaches. Secondary Skills and Performance is a new class to 2024, involving monthly rotations, each with a specialised coach who will assist you in strengthening and refining your acting, across various areas of drama including accent development, physical theatre and stage presence, to name a few. I would highly recommend this class to any girls who have a beginner to intermediate level of experience in drama and have the passion and dedication to be selected into the 2025 Eisteddfod teams.

I’d like to extend my immense gratitude to our team of Co-curricular Drama coaches. Our staff are passionate about educating your daughters about the dramatic arts and are instrumental to the continued success of the Co-curricular Drama program. I would also like to thank the wider Pymble community, particularly Alysha Marsden, our Performing Arts administration support, and Tonya Grelis, Theatre Manager, for their support and assistance in bringing Centrestage to life!

Thank you all for your continued support of the Co-curricular Drama program, and we look forward to seeing you in 2024!

Pymble’s Co-curricular program has flourished within the past year with so many achievements, new opportunities and immense passion. I hope to continue this legacy into 2024 and make Pymble Drama stronger and more enjoyable for the upcoming cohort. I hope to see you on stage!

2 | CO-CURRICULAR DRAMA SHOWCASE 2023

CENTRESTAGE AREA SUMMARIES BY CO-CURRICULAR DRAMA CAPTAINS

FILMMAKING - KATHIE ONG (YEAR 10) Filmmaking at Pymble has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, and I am so proud of how far we have come. Through the program, students learn and experience the process from start to finish, taking part in storyboarding, script writing, shooting and acting, as well as basic editing.

Film is such a versatile medium, allowing us to tell stories from any genre, angle, or perspective.

I personally love making films as I am given the empowerment to evoke emotions from an audience.

This year, we have participated in competitions such as the Shakespeare Sport for Jove Competition in the Short Film category, placing first at the highest level. Another highlight of the year was our class projects, where we collaborated to create the films which you’ll view tonight.

Finally, congratulations to all the filmmaking students as we celebrate your achievements tonight, and thank you for dedicating your time, effort and energy into Co-curricular Film this year. I hope you all had an enjoyable and unforgettable experience and continue your film journey in the years to come.

THEATRESPORTS - ELIZABETH TANG (YEAR 10) It’s an honour to have been elected as the Captain of Theatresports for 2023-2024, and I feel privileged to be leading such a talented and dedicated group of students. They have worked hard on developing the important skill of improvisation and creating strong characters on stage. These skills, that they have obtained, will not only help them develop as an actor but also carry them in their day-to-day lives when advancing into their future years. It’s been incredible to see the friendships and connections that have flourished within classes and cohorts, and it’s been inspiring to watch as students begin to develop into strong actors and improvisers.

It’s been such a great year for our Theatresports cohort, and we were able to celebrate so many incredible achievements. This included taking out first place in PLC Sydney’s Theatresports Competition, Ryde Eisteddfod and Theatresports Schools Challenge. The stakes are always extremely high, so a massive kudos to the students on their achievements.

Well done on an amazing year!

EISTEDDFOD DRAMA - CLAIRE MCPHERSON (YEAR 10) Pymble’s Eisteddfod programme provides an engaging environment for performers to explore selfdevised play as well as develop their performing abilities. The chance to create intriguing pieces, each lasting around eight minutes, gives participants the opportunity to showcase their storytelling skills and creativity. One of the program highlights was when participants were invited to the “Sharp Short Theatre” eisteddfod, which was held at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta. Teams can use this prestigious eisteddfod as an engaging platform to present their stories and abilities in front of a panel of judges who are professionals in the field. The event gives participants the chance to get helpful criticism from professionals in the industry. Personally, I have been taking the course since Year 7, and every year I find myself learning and developing new skills. What makes the course so enjoyable is learning how to create and bring to life a performance idea amongst peers – allowing girls to not only devise pieces but gain a passion for it. This course has been excellent experience and has allowed me to develop as an actor, and I have really appreciated the course.

PYMBLE LADIES’ COLLEGE | 3

CENTRESTAGE MONDAY 27 NOVEMBER, 6.00PM Years 3 to 12 Filmmaking (Drama Theatre)

THE SYDNEY SUPES (YEARS 3 TO 4)

YEARBOOK (YEARS 7 TO 12)

Breaking news! The city of Sydney has just received an urgent threat from an anonymous super villain. ‘The Sydney Supes’ are assembling a team to fight the unknown evil and save the city.

Two students stumble across an old Pymble yearbook while researching for an assignment, and accidentally discover a student that was trapped in time

Teacher: Madi Phoenix

Teacher: Luca Blades and Matt Shepherd

Filmmakers: Evie Cho, Priscilla Fang, Isabelle Lau, Chichi Lee, Grace Li, Emily Wen, Lily Wyldhill, Isabella Yang, Aubrey Zhang, Tiana Zhang

Filmmakers: Sierra Borean, Heidi Ferreira, Ella Gao, Jessi Gao, Chloe Kim, Joyce Li, Lulu Li, Giselle Man, Kathie Ong, Cyma Shah, Kimberly Spencer, Hanle Wong, Sivani Yellamaraju

THE MYSTERIOUS NOISE (YEARS 5 TO 6) Their film is due the next day but a mysterious noise keeps ruining the takes. The filmmaking class decide to investigate by interviewing the people around the school to get to the bottom of it.

Teacher: Madi Phoenix Filmmakers: Olivia Chen, Lindy Gong, Betty Han, Amelia Hardas, Zeta James-Taylor, Christina Lee, Jessica Pickford, Lilyan Shen, Thalia Wang, Mia Wen, Alice Wu, Audrey Wyldhill

SONNET 55 – SHAKESPEARE CARNIVAL ENTRY This poignant sonnet compares the changing seasons to stages of life, and how all who are mortal shall eventually fade away. However, preservation of beauty or youth may still occur, if the persona takes it upon themself to see to it.

Filmmakers: Kathie Ong and Chloe Kim

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CENTRESTAGE

PYMBLE LADIES’ COLLEGE | 5

CENTRESTAGE TUESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2023, 6.00PM Years 5 to 11 Improvisation and Theatresports (Drama Theatre) W E LCOM E TO P YM B LE LA DIES LA DIE S’ CO LLEGE IMPROVISAT IO N SHOWC ASE !

HERE’S HOW TONIGHT WILL LOOK: Teams of three to five students are challenged to create one, two and three minute improvised scenes live on stage.

The scenes are judged by Pymble’s very own Theatresports coaches, Miss Kate Anthonisz, Miss Cerise Kofoed and Miss Sarah Boyd.

Round 1 (up to one-minute games) Teams are called up one by one and choose any one-minute game they like from the list provided. The host will explain the game and provide the teams with a suggestion (ie. an activity or location) which must be used. Each game from the list can only be played twice per show ie. if two teams choose ‘death in a minute’, no remaining teams can choose it.

Round 2 (up to two-minute games) Teams are called up in a different order and choose any twominute game they like from the games list. The host explains the game and provides the teams with a suggestion. Again, each game can only be played twice per show.

Round 3 (up to three-minute games) Teams are called up in a different order again and choose any 3-minute game they like from the list. Each game can only be played twice.

TIMING Each team will have only five seconds to prepare before the scene begins. The timekeeper will blow a whistle to start the scene. In every scene, the timekeeper will ring a bell when the scene has 20 seconds remaining. The timekeeper will then blow a final whistle when the time is up and the team must stop improvising. In two and three minute games the timekeeper will call “halfway” in the middle of the scene. In Replay scenes, each section/replay is only 30 seconds so teams will get a warning.

A team can end their scene any time before the final bell and won’t be penalised. It’s often better to end early!

ONE-MINUTE GAMES Commercial: The team creates an original commercial to show the purpose/benefits of the given product or service.

Death in a minute: In one minute, at least one of the characters in the scene must die by accident in the set environment and their death be justified and reacted to by the other characters.

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Slow Motion Commentary: One, two or three players mime an activity in slow motion. The remaining players provide a sports-style commentary from the side of the stage justifying every mimed action.

TWO-MINUTE GAMES Change Game: The team performs a scene. Whenever the host calls “change” the last player to speak or do something must say or do something completely different. When the host says “continue” the scene carries on with that as the new offer. If the host keeps calling “change” the player must keep saying or doing different things until the host calls “continue.”

Emotional Replay: The team plays a 20 to 30 second neutral scene (with dialogue and actions but no emotions). They then replay the scene three times (30 seconds per scene). For each replay the host will call a different emotion and that emotion must affect every character and action in the scene. They should follow the basic events and dialogue of the neutral scene each time but the emotion will change them.

Entrances & Exits: The team plays a scene but only two players can be on stage at any time. If a third player enters, one player must make a reason to leave and exit immediately, but the scene must continue. If one of the two players on stage exits before then, another player must immediately enter and explain themselves. Players can enter and exit as many times as they wish during the scene. They do not have to stay as the same character when they re-enter.

Emotional Swap: Two players start a scene with opposite emotions. Throughout the scene both players undergo an emotional change due to events, what is said to them etc.

By the end of the scene, each character has the opposite emotion to the one they started with.

First Line, Last Line: The players are given a first line of dialogue and an unrelated last line of dialogue. The scene must begin with the first line and develop and change until it ends with the provided last line.

Genre Replay: The team plays a short 20 to 30 second scene.

They then replay the scene three times (30 seconds per scene). For each replay the host will call a different genre and the players must adapt the original scene to suit that genre.

The basic events of the first scene should be followed each time but the specific characters, dialogue, objects and actions should change to suit the genre.

CENTRESTAGE TUESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2023, 6.00PM Years 5 to 11 Improvisation and Theatresports (Drama Theatre)

Human Props: The team plays a given scene with one or two players being characters in that setting and the others forming every physical object in the scene as they’re named or needed.

Players must interact with the human props and use them.

Props players should change from one object to another throughout the scene as the first object is no longer needed.

Inner Song: The team performs a scene. At various points they turn out to the audience (like in “Asides”) and sing their inner thoughts and feelings about the events taking place or their feelings towards the other character/s OR the host can call “inner song” for them. The scene freezes while the singer briefly sings then goes back to the normal scene where it left off. The other characters in the scene do not ‘hear’ the song.

Stunt Doubles: Two players improvise a scene. Every time they’re about to perform an action, they freeze and call “stunt doubles”. Two offstage players run on and replace them as their stunt doubles; taking on the same physical poses. They perform the said action in slow-motion mime, advancing the scene. When the action is done, the stunt doubles are replaced by the actors again who then continue on with the scene.

Sing About It: The players perform a scene. At any point, the host calls “sing about it” and the last player to speak or do something must sing a short original song about what they are feeling/thinking/doing. When the player stops singing, the scene continues using normal dialogue until “sing about it” is called for another character. The songs only need to be a couple of lines long (preferably with some form of rhyme) and must be made up on the spot - not songs that already exist.

Time Warp: The team plays a scene. At any point the host may call “time warp”, and nominate a change in time and place (five minutes later, a day before etc). The players freeze and the story jumps to the new time/place where things have changed. Remember, something the audience did not get to see has to have happened or the character dynamic needs to have changed when time moved forwards or backwards. And players must react to that change.

Soap Opera: The team performs a scene in the style of a soap opera; big reactions to every line, powerful silences, high emotional stakes, walking towards & away from each other, shock admissions etc. They can perform it in any style of soap opera they wish.

THREE-MINUTE GAMES Broadway Musical: The team perform an original Broadwaystyle musical, going from normal scenes with dialogue into song and dance numbers then back to normal. The songs performed must be original, not songs from existing musicals.

Emotional Rollercoaster: The team performs a normal scene (starting with no emotion) then changes emotions as the host calls out different ones every 20 to 30 seconds. They must justify the change in emotion each time in what they say and do. The basic story/purpose of the scene should continue.

IMPROVISATION AND THEATRE SPORTS PARTICIPANTS: Zoe Bloom, Alysha Bruce, Sitian Chen, Maiya Foster, Ella Gungor, Dakota Jiang, Amelia Lee, Emily Liu, Kelly Qian, Finley Saghaie, Leura Sayers, Murphy Scott, Lilyan Shen, Aaradhya Singh, Cindy Wang, Nina Wang, Emma Wang, Catherine Zeng

Genre Rollercoaster: The team performs a normal contemporary scene (with emotions) and the host will call out different genres or styles every 20 to 30 seconds. With every new genre, the players must change the scene to suit that style. The characterisation, elements of the setting, specific objects and desires can change to suit the genre but the basic story/purpose of the scene should remain.

He Said/She Said: A scene is played with offstage players providing narration/direction after each line of dialogue ie.

Onstage Player A says a line of dialogue. Offstage Player says, “He/She said” and gives Player A a physical stage direction (which Player A must take on). Onstage Player B speaks and an offstage player says “He/She Said” etc.

PYMBLE LADIES’ COLLEGE | 7

CENTRESTAGE WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER, 5.00PM Years 2 to 6 Drama Showcase (GMCPA)

THE TRAGEDY OF THE MACBETH CURSE (YEARS 5 TO 6 DRAMA SKILLS)

SLEEPOVER DISASTER (YEAR 5 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD)

Unbeknownst to a group of Pymble students attempting to rehearse the renowned Shakespearean play ‘Macbeth’, the horrors of the play are manifesting in reality. The Macbeth Curse strikes again!

After trick-or-treating on Halloween, a group of friends get together for a sleepover. In the spirit of Halloween, they delve into each other’s fears.

Teachers: Emma Throssell and Madi Phoenix

Performers: Florence Cheng, Sueann Deng, Olivia Guo, Emma Popli, Tanvi Raniga, Lilyan Shen, Trinity Sun, Alice Wu

Performers: Tiffany Chen, Angela Chiang, Carla Eibach, Emma Fu, Alina Kharbanda, Sarah Kranes, Karen Liu, Molly Liu, Sophia Mohseni, Lilyan Shen, Audrey Wyldhill, Chloe Xiong, Cindy Xue, Grace Zhang, Jacqueline Zhou, Julin Zhu

Teacher: Tahmara Thomas and Cerise Kofoed

POETRY BOOTCAMP (YEAR 2 DRAMA SKILLS - CLASS 1)

THE FUTURE IS CHEESE (YEAR 2 DRAMA SKILLS - CLASS 2)

A wacky voyage through three eras of poetry - Romanticism, the Beatniks, and modern poetry. The morale of the story?

You can be a poet too!

It is the year 4045. Robots are living dairy-free and have successfully eliminated the human species. Or have they?

Teacher: Charlotte Salusinzsky and Matt Shepherd

Teacher: Charlotte Salusinzsky and Matt Shepherd Performers: Lovy Chen, Emily Huang, Ella Jang, Claire Lee, Violet Li, Kaymi Madugalle Wijeratne, Echo Rao, Charlotte Wang, Ines Wang, Melissa Wang, Camilla Yan, Lianne Yoo

PYMBLE’S TALENT SHOWING DRAMA (YEARS 3 TO 4 DRAMA SKILLS - CLASS 2) Unique acts of comedy, dancing, cooking and magic compete in a talent show with critical judges and vivacious hosts.

Teacher: Matt Shepherd and Lara Blair Performers: Anne An, Maisie Borg, Alicia Chen, Davina Excell, Emma Feng, Avril Feng, Melanie Lin, Doris Liu, Annette Ng, Arya Raman, Aarthi Rao, Lily Wyldhill, Emily Yan

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Performers: Amelia Chen, Aviana Faraz, Elaine Fu, Alicia Gong, Katherine Gu, Mischa Jadav, Sarah Kitzing, Jelena Peng, Chloe Pu, Queenie Qin, Ariel Wang, Ella Wang, Hillary Yip, Teresa Zhang, Elena Zhou, Evelyn Zhu

GRANDPA’S BEDTIME STORIES (YEARS 3 TO 4, DRAMA SKILLS - CLASS 1) Grandpa shares some classic fairy tales with some restless children, with their collective imaginations bringing the stories to life.

Teacher: Matt Shepherd and Lara Blair Performers: Tiffany Gu, Jessica Guo, Emily Horniak, Vivien Huang, Anya Jolapara, Jianing Li, Leah Liu, Kathy Kassie Lun, Madeleine Martin, Euphemia Wang, Mia Wang, Rose Wang, Tina Wang, Gisele Whitehead, Shelley Xie, Rachel Zhang

CENTRESTAGE WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER, 5.00PM Years 2 to 6 Drama Showcase (GMCPA)

MISSION NOT QUITE IMPOSSIBLE (YEAR 6 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD) During a school tour in the museum, a group of kids notice a valuable phone locked away and heavily guarded. The children see this as a challenge and are determined to break in and steal the precious phone.

Teacher: Tahmara Thomas and Cerise Kofoed Performers: Adele Cassidy, Amelia Hardas, Ellie Lau, Grace Neal, Eden Ni, Jessica Pickford, Fiona Wu, Bella Xu

PYMBLE LADIES’ COLLEGE | 9

CENTRESTAGE THURSDAY 30 NOVEMBER, 6.30PM Years 7 to 12 Drama Showcase (GMCPA)

EX-WIVES (MUSICAL THEATRE)

GIRL POWER! (YEARS 7 TO 8 DRAMA SKILLS)

‘Ex-Wives’ from Six the Musical, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, tells the untold stories of the six wives of Henry VIII. This musical theatre performance requires students to sing, dance and act live.

The Year 7 and 8 Eisteddfod ensemble takes the stage with an electrifying performance that skillfully resurrects the most memorable and beloved moments from the iconic movie: ‘Mean Girls’ and the much-beloved ‘Gilmore Girls’.

Teacher: Sarah Boyd

Teacher: Emma Throssell

Performers: Alana Blackman, Constance Chow, Heidi Ferreira, Charis Kwan, Yuna Shin

Performers: Amara Ahmed, Annabella Deng, Saisha Golani, Ella Gungor, Jane Lee, Cyma Shah, Aarushi Singh, Emily Xu

TODDLERS IN TUTUS (YEAR 9 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD)

TASSIE SUFFERS (DRAMA PREFECT’S ITEM)

An overbearing mother enters her children into a beauty pageant, pitting them against each other.

It’s audition day, and Tassie Manson, a budding young actor, is determined to get the part.

Teachers: Lara Blair and Cerise Kofoed

Performer: Aashna Rana

Performers: Chloe Brown, Selina Huang, Rosa Kim, Mahika Swamy, India Wells Lister, Kristine Weng, Imogen Wu

BRAINFREEZE! (YEARS 7 TO 8 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD) BLITHE SPIRIT (YEAR 10 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD - TUESDAY) Written by Noël Coward, this play follows upper-class couple Charles and Ruth Condamine. All is perfect in their luxurious world until Charles’ first wife, Elvira, is summoned from the dead and begins to live in their house as a ghost!

Teacher: Sarah Boyd Performers: Elizabeth Tang, Madeleine Watson, Rachel Zhao

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE (YEARS 7 TO 8 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD) Twas the night before Christmas Eve when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Except for Blair. Disrupting her family’s Christmas Eve dinner, Blair has to learn a few lessons before midnight if she intends to receive any gifts from Santa.

Teacher: Sarah Boyd Performers: Angelina Attinger, Isabella Benjamin, Emily Chiang, Constance Chow, Charis Kwan, Isabel Neal, Chloe Wang

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It is a very, very hot day, and this group of Australians are doing what everyone does in these weather conditions go to 7/11 for a slurpee. But when they find the slurpee machine is broken, how will they cope?

Teacher: Sarah Boyd Performers: Annabella Bayfield, Matilda Bentley, Mia Chan, Katerina Economou, Grace McSweeney, Malaika Rasheed, Alannah Tang

CENTRESTAGE THURSDAY 30 NOVEMBER, 6.30PM Years 7 to 12 Drama Showcase (GMCPA)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (YEAR 7 AND 8 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD) Select scenes from Lewis Carroll’s whimsical novel.

Teacher: Sarah Boyd Performers: Isabella Eum, Sienna Ford, Lyra Hambly, Shereen Jawaad, Lucinda Martin, Sophie Ngai, Lara Waterhouse

BROTHER IN ARMS (YEAR 10 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD - THURSDAY) A group of women enter a prestigious army training program, however, it is a ‘men only’ course.

Teachers: Lara Blair and Cerise Kofoed Performers: Emma Geng, Anarghya Guru Prasad, Indianna Joyce, Claire McPherson, Nandika Singh, Iris Wang, Candace Xi, Alyssa Xu

WELCOME TO ZE KITCHEN (YEAR 7 AND 8 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD) This performance will give you a sneak peek behind the scenes into the kitchen of your local pizza parlour! They’re a smooth running machine, that is until the new guy, Kyle, shows up, and throws everything into disarray.

Teacher: Sarah Boyd Performers: Zoe Bloom, Emily Liu, Yvette Moodie, Laranya Nanthakumaran, Isabelle Port, Addison Woods

THE SECOND CHANCE SHIP (YEAR 10 TO 12 DRAMA EISTEDDFOD - TUESDAY) Welcome to the Second Chance Ship, the hottest game show on television, where historical figures will be brought to life and given the chance to rewrite their history. Will they be successful at changing their narratives?

Teacher: Sarah Boyd Performers: Maiya Foster, Ashley Park, Aashna Rana, Elizabeth Tang, Ava Thomas, Rachel Zhao

PYMBLE LADIES’ COLLEGE | 11

CENTRESTAGE

DRAMA ACHIEVEMENTS 2023 SYDNEY EISTEDDFOD

Second Place (Duos Improvisation)

First Place (Juniors)

First Place (Secondary Group Performance): ‘The Second Chance Ship’

Zoe Bloom Year 8 Grace McSweeney Year 8

Maiya Foster Year 12 Ava Thomas Year 12 Aashna Rana Year 12 Ashley Park Year 12 Elizabeth Tang Year 10 Rachel Zhao Year 10

Zoe Bloom Y8 Leura Sayers Y8

Emma Wang Year 7 Sitian Chen Year 8 Jisoo Yeou Year 8 Zoe Bloom Year 8

Second Place (Primary Group Performance): ‘The Environmentalists’

Highly Commended (Group Improvisation)

Bella Xu Year 6 Fiona Wu Year 6 Amelia Hardas Year 6 Eden Ni Year 6 Sueann Deng Year 5 Tanvi Raniga Year 5 Olivia Guo Year 5 Trinity Sun Year 5 Highly Commended (Primary Group Performance): ‘A Movie Whirlwind’ Grace Neal Year 6 Ellie Lau Year 6 Adele Cassidy Year 6 Emma Popli Year 5 Florence Cheng Year 5 Alice Wu Year 5 Lilyan Shen Year 5 Highly Commended (Duos & Trios): ‘The Mistake’ Jane Lee Year 8 Saisha Golani Year 7

RYDE EISTEDDFOD First Place (Duos Improvisation)

Third Place (Group Improvisation)

Third Place (Duos Improvisation) Kavya Surana Year 5 Aaradhya Singh Year 5

SHARP AND SHORT PLAYWRIGHTING COMPETITION Best Overall Production: ‘The Second Chance Ship’

Highly Commended (Duos & Trios): ‘The One After the Superbowl’

Maiya Foster Year 12 Ava Thomas Year 12 Aashna Rana Year 12 Ashley Park Year 12 Elizabeth Tang Year 10 Rachel Zhao Year 10

Brielle McDonald Year 8 Emily Xu Year 7 Ella Gungor Year 7

THEATRESPORTS SCHOOLS CHALLENGE

Highly Commended (Duos & Trios): ‘The Abandoned Asylum’

Primary Team progressed through to Semi Final

Aarushi Singh Year 7 Cyma Chah Year 7 Amara Ahmed Year 7

Kelly Qian Year 6 Lilyan Shen Year 5 Aaradhya Singh Year 5

INNER WEST EISTEDDFOD

Junior Team progressed through to Semi Final

Emma Wang Year 7 Emily Liu Year 7

Second Place (Duos & Trios): ‘The Mistake’ Jane Lee Year 8 Saisha Golani Year 7 Third Place (Duos & Trios): ‘The One After the Superbowl’ Brielle McDonald Year 8 Emily Xu Year 7 Ella Gungor Year 7

Zoe Bloom Year 8 Sitian Chen Year 8 Nina Wang Y8ear 8 Ella Gungor Year 7 Emma Wang Year 7

SHAKESPEARE CARNIVAL – SHORT FILM CATEGORY First Place in Regional Carnival: Kathie Ong Year 10 Chloe Kim Year 12

Nikita Srivastava Year 9 Imogen Wu Year 9

PLC THEATRESPORTS COMPETITION

First Place (Group Improvisation)

First Place (Seniors)

First Place and Overall Winners of the State Carnival:

Nina Wang Year 8 Amelia Lee Year 8 Cindy Wang Year 8 Jisoo Yeou Year 8

Murphy Scott Year 12 Maiya Foster Year 12 Finley Saghaie Year 12

Kathie Ong Year 10 Chloe Kim Year 12

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CENTRESTAGE

PYMBLE LADIES’ COLLEGE | 13

CENTRESTAGE

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CENTRESTAGE

PYMBLE LADIES’ COLLEGE | 15

CENTRESTAGE MEET OUR TEAM 2023

KATE ANTHONISZ Kate is an enthusiastic lover of the arts, who has been performing from a young age, leading her to exciting opportunities to share her joy of speech, drama, dance, and singing. Most recently Kate has Directed and Choreographed Roseville College’s ‘Frozen Jr’, and been able to join two of North Shore Theatre Company’s major musicals, ‘Aladdin Jr’ as Choreographer and ‘The Addams Family’, as Assistant Director, Choreographer, and Costume designer. Her other credits include Australia’s premiere of ‘In Pieces - A New Musical’ (Lead dancer and River U/S), Mitchel Old Company’s ‘Heathers’ (Stage hand and shadow Choreographer), as well as the Women’s T20 World Cup Opening Ceremony (Lead Dancer), and most recently Madame Tussauds Opening Ceremony Dancer for ‘Harry Styles’.

She is looking forward to joining the cast of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ with Notable Theatre Company at the beginning of next year. Apart from performance she is also completing her Bachelors of Marketing and Communication (Media arts and Production) at UTS and is an apprentice in Beauty Therapy. Kate endeavours to use these skills of leadership, patience, and experience to further Pymble’s Theatre Sports teams skills and bring an open and enjoyable environment for all performers to the classroom. She is looking forward to the exciting new year with Pymble’s co-curricular drama department.

LUCA BLADES Luca is an emerging director and producer with a passion for character driven stories. In 2019 Luca was nominated for the Young Filmmaker of the Year award at the Byron Bay International Film Festival for his directorial debut short film, Ship Out. In 2023 Luca graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), with a Bachelor of Arts in Screen Production. While at AFTRS, Luca directed and produced a range of narrative, documentary, fashion, and music video projects.

Currently teaching the Year 7 to 12 Filmmaking class at Pymble Ladies’ College, Luca has focused on teaching the students the production process from start to finish. Supporting the girls through script development, production and post-production, Luca has seen the students grow as filmmakers and find a passion for particular roles.

LARA BLAIR Lara is an enthusiastic learner and educator, who loves to guide and encourage students to express themselves and develop their skills in the dramatic field. She graduated from Pymble Ladies’ College in 2021, where she enjoyed Curriculum Drama in Year 11 and 12 and found her passion for performing.

She is now studying Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Modern History at Macquarie University. As a staff member at the College, she is currently teaching the Year 3/4 Drama Skills and Performance, and assisting the Year 9/10 Eisteddfod Class, where she is continuing to learn and grow as a drama teacher to better her students and help support them learn and fine-tune their abilities.

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CENTRESTAGE MEET OUR TEAM 2023

SARAH BOYD Sarah is a passionate performer and educator who strives to create inclusive educational environments that encourage students to experiment, play and develop their dramatic skills. Beyond performing however, Sarah has always had a distinct passion for directing and scriptwriting. In 2017 at the age of 15, she wrote her first original play, What’s Done in Darkness, which parodied Agatha Christie’s signature murder mysteries, which she subsequently directed and debuted at Pymble Ladies’ College.

In 2018, she was Pymble’s Theatre Captain, and proceeded to become Music and the Arts Captain in 2019. Since graduating, she spends her time studying a Bachelor of Secondary Education and a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney, majoring in Drama and History. During her time as a staff member at the College, she has directed a variety of major school productions including Peter Pan in 2022 and Hating Alison Ashley in 2023. She is also currently working as a dance teacher and is working as a choreographer on some exciting projects in 2024!

CERISE KOFOED Cerise was a proud Pymble girl from Kindergarten to Year 12 and graduated from Pymble Ladies’ College in 2013. From a young age, Cerise received weekly lessons in Speech & Drama and completed her Certificate in Drama & Performance (CDPA) and a Certificate in Voice & Communication (CVCA), both with high distinctions. She graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Music majoring in music theatre from the Australian Institute of Music. Cerise founded her own film production company, After You Productions, in 2020 with her long-term colleague and friend, Laura Daniella Bucci. Her company has produced three short films, Because of Ava, A Corps in the Spotlight and Stay with me tonight. She starred as “Ava” in their first short film, ‘Because of Ava’ which has won several awards including “Best Film” from 13Horror and V.i.Z Film Fest 2022, with a special mention to Cerise for the “Best Short Film Actress” award. Her other two films are currently due to premiere in various film festivals in Sydney this year. Cerise is very excited with plans for a debut feature film currently in the works.

MADI PHOENIX Madi is an emerging director, writer, dramaturg and passionate teacher and actor. In 2016 she completed her ATCL Diploma with Trinity Guildhall London. In 2018 she completed a Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) and in 2022 she completed her Bachelor of Arts: Screen Production at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Some of her films from AFTRS include rom-com, Lockdown Love, about two people who fall in love online during the pandemic, documentary, Smartphone Uses Anonymous, about Gen Z’s phone addiction, proof of concept, The Weaver’s Shuttle, about reconnecting with your inner child and following your dreams, graduation project, Unfinished Business, about learning to let go of grief so you can live your life to the fullest and her latest film, End of an Era about childhood friendship and inevitable change. Madi is currently teaching film and drama at Pymble Ladies’ College and speech, drama and communication skills at Abbotsleigh where she directed the musical ‘Into the Woods’ earlier this year. Madi has also just finished directing ‘Madagascar Jr’ at the Kings Preparatory school.

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MATT SHEPHERD Matt is a passionate filmmaker and performer who has a wide range of experience across both fields.

Matt stumbled into musical theatre in 2017, and found a love for performing which was succeeded by multiple more shows and studying an Advanced Diploma of Acting for Screen (SAS), where he then found an additional interest in filmmaking, and studied a Diploma of Screen and Media (SFS).

Since graduating, he has continued performing in musical theatre shows across various community theatre companies, most recently in WTC’s production of Cats at the Concourse Theatre, while also running his sole trader business ‘Matte Black Media’ as a photographer and videographer. His filming experiences range from feature films and music videos, to corporate and wedding shoots, and social media advertisements. Matt has loved taking on teaching the next generation of performers and filmmakers at Pymble Ladies’ College, and hopes to continue pushing the limits of what the students can learn and achieve.

CHARLOTTE SALUSINSZKY Charlotte is an emerging performer, writer, and theatre-maker focused on making solo autobiographical performances. Charlotte graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2017 where she completed her Honours year in Theatre Practice. She completed Shopfront Arts Co-op’s ArtsLab residency in 2019/20, which she used to develop and perform Little Jokes in Times of War, an autobiographical solo performance about her family’s escape from Hungary in 1956. This show had its second season at Kings Cross Theatre in March 2022. In 2021, Charlotte was shortlisted for the Create NSW Theatre (Emerging) Fellowship with Griffin Theatre. This included three months of mentorship and development with Griffin to research her next performance project, Freaking Friday and The Changelings. Charlotte completed the PACT Lab; Process, Play, Experiment in October 2022. Charlotte is a Co-artistic Director of experimental theatre company, The Dig Collective. She is an alumnus of Soothplayers: Completely Improvised Shakespeare, and Impro Melbourne. Her film and TV credits include Hayden and Peter (web series), Silent Comedy (Channel 31) and Fur Baby (short film), and her writing has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.

TAHMARA THOMAS Tahmara Thomas is an avid performer and enthusiastic educator. Her strengths lie in devising, writing, improv and filmmaking. Her passion for drama and theater started at a young age and was further nurtured in high school at Pymble Ladies’ College where, where she was Drama Captain. In 2021, she starred as Algernon in the production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. She received a state ranking in HSC Drama and her group devised piece was nominated to the HSC Showcase ‘Onstage’. Her short film ‘Eimaan: On Love and Faith’ was also nominated and both received perfect scores.

Since graduating, Tahmara has pursued a double degree in Law and Psychology. Outside of university, she continues her passion for filmmaking and documentary creation, having made documentaries both nationally and internationally. This year she also had the exciting opportunity to act and co-write a Law Revue adaptation of ‘Heathers: The Musical’. Tahmara is particularly passionate about promoting confidence in young women and creating safe spaces for students to find their creative voice. Aligning with this passion, she has taught several filmmaking and performance workshops pro bono in India. She has thoroughly enjoyed working with the talented students at Pymble this year. She is excited to continue her journey of storytelling through the camera lens and take on more projects in theatre next year.

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EMMA THROSSELL Emma is a Sydney-based actor, creative and educator. Emma graduated from Actors Centre Australia with a Bachelor of Performance. Her most recent performance was an award nominated interactive, immersive and improvised production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream called Something About Bottom in Sydney Fringe. Earlier in the year, Emma starred in the production of Tough Titties a feminist sketch comedy show at Meraki Bar as a prominent segment of the Femeraki Festival. Emma’s artistic ventures extend to screen acting where she has been involved in numerous short films including I’m Glad You are Here, Mean Girls But With Murder, Torment and recently starred in a new Vodaphone commercial for the iPhone 15. Emma was a touring actor for Poetry in Action, an educational theatre company, where she travelled around Australia performing plays, showcasing the power of poetry and language to high school students in 2021. Emma is now a Dance, Drama and English educator at numerous schools. Her interactions with young and aspiring minds not only ignite her own artistic drive but also fuel her growth as both an artist and an educator.

PRODUCTION CREDITS CO-CURRICULAR DRAMA COORDINATOR Sarah Boyd ADMINISTRATION – PERFORMING ARTS Alysha Marsden STAGE MANAGER: Emily Beard ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Stella Shi THEATRE MANAGER Ms Tonya Grelis THEATRE TECHNICIAN Marni Collier LIGHTING TECHNICIAN Hayden Smith PHOTOGRAPHY Lightbox Photography GRAPHIC DESIGN Jennifer Gerrish Thank you to all the people who have supported the Co-curricular Drama program and have been involved in the development of our theatremakers.

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CENTRESTAGE

pymblelc.nsw.edu.au Avon Road Pymble NSW 2073 PO Box 136 North Ryde BC NSW 1670 Australia +61 2 9855 7799 A SCHOOL OF THE UNITING CHURCH

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ACN 645 100 670 | CRICOS 03288K

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