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COMBINED COLLEGE MUSICAL
School of Rock!
Mrs Jessica Allan - Musical Director
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After a three-year hiatus, the staff and students of St Gregory’s College were itching to get back on the stage and be immersed in the world of performing arts.
It was decided that we, together in collaboration with the talented staff and students of St Patrick’s College, would stage ‘The School of
Rock’ musical performance. The decision was made in late 2021 that nothing was going to stop us from putting on the biggest and best production to date. However, along came Term 1 of 2022, and the world, unfortunately, had other plans.
In Week 2, we invited the young men of St Gregory’s to perform for the first round of auditions. Unfortunately, due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, we were unable to welcome the girls of St Patrick’s College. It was obvious something needed to be done, so with some quick thinking, we moved to a remote audition process, where the girls were able to share their talents from afar. By Week 5, our Leads and Ensemble members were cast. After 8 weeks of separate auditions and rehearsals, the time had finally come when we were able to all join forces as one big musical team. Many weeks of practice later, including Sundays and holiday rehearsals, the singing, dancing and acting all came together nicely. The anticipation of opening night drew nearer and on Thursday the 16 June, it was showtime!
After all those years since the movie release, we instantly fell back in love with the hilarious lead character, Dewey Finn. Played by the brilliant Kieran Foran. His character took us on a journey from a failed, wannabe rock star, who wouldn’t have the faintest idea of how to be a good role model; to a loveable, caring teacher of the arts. We watched the stage as Dewey was able to bring his students and their parents, his fellow colleagues, and best mates together even despite all their differences. Music was the answer!! We cheered as Dewey turned a class of straight-A pupils into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band.
It was a laugh-out-loud musical production based on the 2003 hit movie of the same name, with its hilarious one-liners, cheeky characters and brilliant music. Andrew Lloyd Webber penned fourteen new numbers for the show, which also featured all of the original songs from the movie. The combination of the rock n’ roll music, together with the engaging dialogue, we knew instantly the students of St Gregory’s and St Patrick’s would have an absolute ball. Andrew Lloyd Webber himself said “School of Rock is fun”, and he wasn’t wrong, to see our students having the time of their lives up on stage, is what it was all about.
We saw the self-proclaimed ‘uptight’ Principal - Ms Rosalie Mullins, played by the talented Charley Langford, absolutely shine on stage and reclaim her ‘old self’ through song. And that was the central message of this story. A very simple and heart-warming one - the empowering force of music. In our own lives we all know these past few years have needed music more than ever.
Our dynamic duo, Angus Limbrey and Tara Greenrod, brought us into the world of the loveable couple - Ned and Patty. We honestly couldn’t have cast a better pair for these roles. In fact, our entire production was superbly cast, however without the ensemble this
Musical would not be complete. Witnessing the entire cast working as a little family and coming out the other side with big smiles on their faces, we truly couldn’t have been prouder.
We have such a beautiful and loving community at St Gregory’s College and it has been amazing to welcome and be welcomed again by the wonderful staff and students from St Patrick’s
College. We were so lucky to have Mr Joshua
Combes and Ms Emma Randall, take on the role of Assistant Director and Choreographer. Each year they show such an interest in helping us here at St Gregory’s College, and we can’t
thank them enough for their generosity in giving us their time every week.
Also, a huge thank you to our extremely talented Music Department at St Gregory’s College. The production wouldn’t be possible without the brilliant Mr Bernard Malone and Mr Laurence Malaesilia. Together, and through their love of music, we were able to put on a fantastic performance over the three nights.
The Musical as a whole, was tried and tested this year. We as a team have had anything and everything thrown our way. However, the resilience, determination and amazing staff working away behind the scenes, got us to the stage for opening night. The professionalism and positive vibes from everyone were contagious. The smiles on everybody’s face was what made it all worthwhile.
We are extremely thankful to have had the opportunity to work with amazing people, on and off the stage, that continued to blow us away week by week. We hope it is experiences like these that are offered at our colleges, that will stay with the students forever. We hope our students have made lifelong memories and friends along the way.
Thank you to the supportive parents of the cast members and to the College Principals, Mr Paul Brookes and Mrs Sue Lennox who continue to foster the collaborative connection between the two colleges.
