The curtain fell on Innisfail State College’s Popstars! - the 90’s musical IGGULDENS

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIA GIRGENTI

LAST term, Innisfail State College’s Popstars! - the 90’s musical at B-Block Auditorium was a resounding success and received rave reviews.

ISC’s Arts Department presented three show nights, plus a matinee to local primary schools, with audience members travelling from as far north as Cairns.

ISC Student Council ran a canteen of snacks/ refreshments, and funds raised went back into school events, whilst the Instrumental Music team ran a 100s board to subsidise instrumental music camps and excursions.

The production, written by Neil Gooding and Nicholas Cristo with musical arrangements by Isaac Hayward, featured a stack of pop smash hits, including The Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, and MC Hammer.

Mark (Matthew Haigh) is head over heels in love with his girlfriend, the Queen Bee, Shannon Van de Witt (Tess Wilson).

When Shannon discovers pop-band impresario Simon Austin (Deja Anderson) is the surprise judge at the State Talent Show, she dumps her boyfriend Mark for her chance at stardom.

Shannon enlists the help of her friends Steffi (Aimee Joinbee), Tina (Luci Kenway) and decides to form an exciting girl band for their shot at the grand prize.

Whilst the girls are fantastic dancers, they are stone cold tone deaf, so they hold auditions for a lead singer and make a pact to let nothing stand in their way to claim the win.

Here, school geek Charlie (Marjorie Tagget), a late entrant, belted out a number and secured her place as the lead vocalist in the ‘Candy Girls.’

Mark’s garage band friends Patrick (Caleb Howarth), Vinnie (Hermionie Stewart) and Shane (Sebastian Vang) rally around him, and soon a plan for revenge takes shape to change their grunge band to a boy band and snatch the talent show title from Shannon’s Candy Girls.

There is just one slight problem - the boys cannot dance, so Mark enlists the help of the ultra-talented, new girl, Ella (Michelle De Faveri), to help with their boy band make-over, and sparks soon fly.

A seven-piece band, under the musical director of Tamara Gillard, included Cameron Anderson, Oscar Van Haaren, Riley Saunders, Darren Bridges, Alex Langton, Natasha De Faveri, Ben McAnulty, Bec AllenAnkins, and Anita Berry belted out the catchy musical numbers.

The behind-the-scenes team - Bianca Barnes (choreographer), Alex Langton (sound technician), Annie Caughey (lighting technician), Ashley Marshall and Dempsey Hastie (stage managers), Prue Dellar (props coordinator), Adrienne Shaw and Blaire Thomson (set design), Dani Cook (costume design)

& IGGsToo

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IGGULDENS

17 Butler St, TULLY IGGsToo Banyan Plaza and Anita Berry (poster/program design).

Director Kaitlin Wone and producer Bec Topp congratulated the fantastic and talented cast of students who made the words and lyrics come to life on stage during the production.

The cast and crew thanked sponsors Tassal, Woolworths, Midway Butchers, Brumby’s Bakery, Mena Creek Hotel, Domino’s Pizza and Innisfail State College’s P & C Association committee.