An article by Principal Dr James Pietsch
Over the next week there will be one name on everybody’s lips – Matilda! The Junior School Musical Production is coming, and our students are ready to go. Prepare for an exciting week ahead. I want to begin by thanking everyone who is supporting our students as they perform five shows over four days – a mammoth effort from everyone involved – our students, their parents, the production team, our Director, Mrs Jones, and our Producer, Mrs Croucher, our choreographers and Dance Captains, our backstage crew, hair and makeup team, the costumes team, lighting and sound team and our Junior School staff supporting those involved in the musical.
Musical productions are significant cultural events for our school. They also provide our students with unique opportunities to learn, grow and flourish – whether they are acting, singing, dancing, or assisting backstage. In fact, it is one of many events in the school calendar that sees our students grow in each of the six attributes contained within the Inaburra Learning Framework, challenging our students to Think, Question, Communicate, Collaborate, Strive and Serve.
Think and act!
Musicals test our students’ capacity to focus for extended periods of time and their capacity to observe what is going on around them, what other people are doing, what directions are being provided, when they have a queue to move on stage or recite a line of dialogue. They must think critically in the moment—analysing cues, making quick decisions, and adapting to unexpected changes—all while staying in character. Productions also require students to see the way in which their movement, their words, their singing and their dancing are all parts of a greater whole, alongside the activities of their peers, all of which come together to tell a single story.
Reflect and question
The richness of a musical lies in the story it tells through various forms of communication with the audience. Matilda JR. is no different, and its themes of power, education, opportunity, and family are thought-provoking for both performers and the audience. These themes spark reflection and questioning, prompting us to reconsider what we know about schooling, family, and power. They encourage us to imagine new possibilities and to think critically about whether our own beliefs, based on our reasoning and logic, need to be revisited and reconsidered.
Telling the story
Storytelling on this scale gives our students the opportunity to reflect on the characters being portrayed, to seek to understand their motives and their reasons for acting in certain ways. They are challenged to communicate their characters to us as an audience with authenticity, humour, and emotion. Behind the scenes, our students also work together as a team, communicating with one another, displaying empathy for each other, discerning when others are tired, and providing support during challenging moments.
Playing your part
Being part of a musical means being part of something bigger than yourself – collaborating with others to produce something that transcends the individual efforts of each student. It gives them experience learning to ‘play their part’ – offering their skills and abilities in the service of the greater good. Yet each person that is part of the ensemble cast and crew is also an essential piece within a broader puzzle – and is learning how to navigate the complex dynamic between being a part of a larger collaboration while remaining an individual with their own unique identity. The final resulting performance, while sharing similarities with other Matilda JR. stage productions, will also have its own identity, emerging from the unique opportunity to collaborate in which each of our students has played their distinct and individual role.
Pushing through challenges
I can recall when Matilda JR. began to emerge as a future reality in 2024. It has been a long journey since then, involving many hours of planning, practice, and rehearsal. It has required perseverance from our students who have worked hard to master their lines, their dance routines, and their songs. They have had to strive for excellence, pushing themselves to improve and refine their performances. It has been a substantial effort from cast and crew not to give up, not to lose hope when something appears at first sight to be impossible. Under the guidance of our staff, students have been encouraged to recognise the significant progress they have made week after week, seeing the benefits of their practice and efforts in the gradual emergence of the production that we will get to experience next week. It has been a long journey that has included moments of frustration and disappointment which, in time, have been replaced by the exhilaration that accompanies the development of new skills and abilities in collaboration with others.
The greatest of them all…Serve
The Learning Framework attributes of ‘Think, Question, Communicate, Collaborate and Strive’ are clearly evident in the activities that have brought the musical into being. But perhaps the most significant attribute is the last one – that of Serving. We have seen how our students have upheld each other – literally and metaphorically, how they have provided encouragement to one another, influenced one another in a positive way, supported one another, enabled each student to achieve something that they could not have achieved on their own. Our students have been servants to one another, honouring the contribution of each person and desiring the very best for each member of the cast and crew.
Of course, it is not just our students who are developing in terms of each of these attributes. It is our staff who are also modelling these day in and day out. What a blessing it is to work with staff who are deeply invested in the learning and growth of our students, whether this is in the classroom, or on the stage as part of Matilda JR. Once again, thank you to all our staff who have been involved, as well as all our parents. Together, you have given our students an experience that they will never forget.