��AV Junior School’s Iconic Musical

With nearly 300 students performing in a double cast, the effort to audition, rehearse, and coordinate everyone to stage The Music Man JR. was monumental.

The original Broadway production of The Music Man was a sensation in 1957. Set in 1912, it was fascinating explaining to our students the nuances of early 20th-century life – how goods were bought and sold via travelling salesmen, the significance of a wagon delivering goods to rural towns, and the pivotal role of libraries before the Internet era.

Congratulations to our Years 3 to 6 students for their four performances at The Concourse Theatre last week. It was a display of talent and dedication, with some girls working on the production from the end of Term 1 and others learning the songs during Music class over the course of Term 2, in preparation for our intensives in Term 3. Overall, it was an incredibly positive experience with such a buzz backstage at every show. We hope audiences enjoyed the action on stage as much as we enjoyed bringing the production to life!

In particular we’d like to thank:

The Concourse Team for all their help in getting our show up and running, and all their work backstage
Staff from the Junior School and Music Department for supporting this massive production and helping us to enjoy our moment onstage
Our amazing Senior School students, who supported the show by playing in the orchestra and behind the scenes in the Production Crew
Mr Pomfrett for all his help with the props, making our street sign, the lamp and the fence – he is amazing!
Ms Edwards for her help with the costumes and props, sewing buttons, creating signage, and more
Ms Williams, for her help with organising costumes, working on the photo shoot for the program and ensuring all the students had their outfits and accessories
Ms McInnes, our Performing Arts Administrative Assistant, who helped behind the scenes writing emails, making enquiries, working on costumes, and ensuring we were all looked after
Mr Gray for playing in the orchestra on the bass as well as teaching us all our songs and making sure we were ready to take to the stage
Ms O’Mahony for also helping teach us our songs, making sure the leads ‘knew their stuff’, and assisting backstage with the microphones
Dr Langan for working with us in class but also having one of the craziest jobs side stage, ensuring we entered and exited and knew our lines and cues
Mr Carroll and his Independent Theatre team for all their help setting up and bumping out the show, the set, the props, the cool signs and obtaining the wagon
Ms Starr for helping us perfect our Midwestern accents and her stunning work with Irish accents for the character of Mrs Paroo
Ms Gutierrez for learning the whole musical in order to conduct the show and saving us every night by being an amazing musical director
Ms Dangar for her support, especially by choreographing our pieces and supporting entire year groups as well as individual character performers who had dance numbers
Mr Harker for pulling everything together by organising all our music, working behind the scenes, getting everything ready, working with the student orchestra, and unpacking all our costumes and props
Ms Lemon for producing and directing our show.

��AV