Live theatre returned to the Birchip Public Hall on Friday, June 28, with a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” marking the first performance by Birchip P-12 School in almost nine years.
Ms Marian Haddrick, director and Birchip P-12 School teacher, modernised William Shakespeare’s 1595 play using contemporary language to appeal to students.
The 60-minute comedy took place among the green forest of Athens; the set expertly crafted by Mr David McMaster and his set design class of year 9 and 10 students, and highlighted by stage lights from Sam Goldsmith.
Around 300 people attended the production across the matinee performance and night session and they were all entertained by the humour and skill of the actors, many of whom were performing for the first time.
Birchip P-12 School Principal, Mr Andrew Sayle, said that the production was an opportunity to develop a wide range of skills for both students and staff.
Opportunity
“A performance like this is an opportunity to develop and showcase the theatrical and artistic talents of not just our students, but also the staff that were involved in such a long-term project like this,” Mr Sayle said.
“It also provides the chance to bring together the whole school, families and the local community, to enjoy and take pride in the performance. It is a wonderful avenue to promote the Arts as an extracurricular activity for students to engage and experience,” he said.
Team Effort
Mr Sayle emphasizes that school productions are a huge team effort and require many hours of dedication outside of regular school hours.
“I would like to make a special mention to Ms Marian Haddrick for her vision, creativity, direction and encouragement of our students as well as Mr David McMaster who was in charge of the wonderful set construction,” he said.
“I would also like to congratulate all of the students involved. They should all be very proud of what they achieved.”
The 19-member cast attended many lunchtime and afterschool practices to refine their roles, and many more hours were spent remembering their lines.
The play weaved together the story of four young Athenian lovers (played by Les Cooper, Ollie Cook, Bambi Navarro and Emily Braine), a group of actors forming a play (Eliott Bidstrup, Michael Darby, Chloe Cross, Indya-Rose Atkinson, Tilly Hogan and Jed Coffey) and a mischievous group of fairies (Kirah Mitchell, Clarice Bennett, Annabelle Bennett, Jenna Angel, Verity Rafter and Bella Morris).
For Year 12 student, Eliott Bidstrup, who performed the comedic role of “Nick Bottom” in which he was also transformed into a donkey, sees a career in theatre as a very plausible path.
“My ultimate dream in life is to become a theatre actor, however the opportunity to gain the necessary skills and confidence have never been presented to me,” Eliott said.
“But performing in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ has certainly reaffirmed and given me hope that I do in fact have a future in acting that will be just as fun and exciting as I imagined!”
Eliott also enjoyed the experience of bonding with a range of year levels in a non-sporting environment.
“It has been wonderful to have an opportunity for team building and collaboration outside of sport that is still recognised and celebrated by the Birchip community,” he said.
As for the future of Birchip P-12 School productions, Mr Sayle hopes that they continue to provide students with diverse experiences.
“I am confident that the success of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ will motivate students to consider being a part of something like this in the future. Hopefully they will not have to wait too long for the opportunity to be involved,” Mr Sayle said.
“We have to understand however that it takes a large amount of time and effort to undertake something like this,” he said.
Eliott, too, hopes that productions continue to be offered in the future to provide students with “vital and worthwhile opportunities”.
“They offer an opportunity unlike any other to collaborate with fellow classmates of all ages on a creative project that contributes to the wider community,” Eliott said.
Birchip P-12 School continues to be heavily involved in Culture and the Arts, providing numerous opportunities for students and the community to showcase their talents throughout the year.
“This year students participated in the Mali Heart Festival as street performers as well as showcasing their talents on stage over the long weekend,” Mr Sayle said.
“We will also be conducting our annual Springfest concert in term four. Additionally, we will continue to display the range of creative artistic talents in the annual Birchip Hospital Flower Show.”
“A school production, hopefully, promotes a sense of connection and a positive feeling about the school. It highlights what can be achieved with an application of effort and teamwork.”
Birchip P-12 School takes pride in the students and staff who contributed to the production, whether on stage or behind the scenes, and is delighted to have brought live theatre back after many long-awaited years.