Eight drama students from years nine and 10 at Taree High School will perform at Sydney's QUDOS Bank Arena this November following their selection into this year's Schools Spectacular Combined Drama Ensemble.
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Holly Davis, Ashley Hampson, Niquita Hughes, Keira Kelly, Letesha Mancell, Laurah Powell, Tylah Roach and Jamie Smith attended their first rehearsal on September 18 and had a fantastic day working alongside more than 100 other drama students to devise and rehearse their segment, which is based around Romeo and Juliet.
It was a huge day, with the students leaving the school at 3.30am to travel to Sydney Olympic Park and arriving back 18 hours later, buzzing after the day's events.
They have three more full-day rehearsals before they spend a week in Sydney for show week, the dress rehearsal and the string of matinee and evening shows.
It's the first time Taree High has had drama students audition for the Schools Spectacular (dancers have successfully auditioned previously).
Their video audition, submitted earlier this year, was a mimed piece showcasing a group of strangers arriving to a bus stop, only to be annoyed by one another's' idiosyncrasies, missing the bus entirely and being left stranded in the pouring rain.
The school is extremely proud of all eight performers on their selection and wish them luck, with hope some of them happen to be in front of a camera as the performance is filmed for television.
Other groups from the Mid Coast selected to perform in the Schools Spectacular include Forster Public School (combined drama) and Gloucester Public School (combined choir).
Schools Spectacular creative director, Sonja Sjolander said this year's theme, Stars, is a tribute to everybody involved in the event.
"In the Schools Spectacular, everyone is a star," Ms Sjolander said.
"We are recognised as the biggest performance of its kind in the world, and to attain this success everyone has to shine in their role.
"Together we shine brighter.
"We are all stars, whether we are the performers on stage, backstage, crew, the dedicated teachers who make everything happen for their students or the parents who devote countless hours ensuring their children have this wonderful opportunity to star in the Schools Spectacular."
Seventeen schools have been chosen to be part of the enormous entertainment extravaganza with students joining Aboriginal Dance (AD), Combined Choir (CC), Combined Dance (CD), Featured Ensemble (FE), D'Arts Ensemble (D), Combined Drama (CDr), Puppets (P) or Signing Choir (SC).
In total, about 5500 performers, drawn from public schools across New South Wales will take part.
The fast-paced show will transition through a colourful choreographed kaleidoscope of music from pop and hip hop to the classics, from a crescendo of massed voices to stunning solos, and a full spectrum of dance styles.
Four performances of the Schools Spectacular will be staged at QUDOS Bank Arena on Friday November 22 (11am, 7.30pm) and Saturday November 23 (1pm, 7pm) and will be later broadcast across Australia on Channel 7 networks.
Tickets, available through Ticketek, are already selling fast so now is the time to secure your preferred seats.
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