Students Rock the House – College Production 2024

And that's a wrap!

Our 2024 musical, Rock of Ages: Teen Edition has come to a close after four fabulous performances last week.

With opening and closing nights sold out, the house was abuzz as we stepped back to the 80s and entered the world of rock and roll.

Students filled the stage with voluminous hair, denim and leather, bright and bold eyeshadow and, of course, jazz hands to bring alive this musical. And boy, did they do a magnificent job!

Students began rehearsing for this production at the start of the year, having auditioned in late Term 4 2023. They spent countless hours learning lines, rehearsing choreography and singing harmonies, all of which paid off in their final performances. Students dug deep and embodied their characters throughout the show, demonstrating their growth as actors and performers.

Alongside our cast on stage were our student musicians, spotlight operators and backstage crew, who were so pivotal to the success of this show.

Student musicians who were interested in playing alongside the professional band were given the opportunity to audition to do so. They all did a rockin' job and should be proud of how much they've grown as musicians in this short time.

A special shout-out goes to Matthew (Year 11), who played bass guitar throughout the whole show with the band!

The production team is so proud of every student involved in this year's musical and grateful to have worked with such a wonderful cohort who showed humility and passion every day. We can't wait to see what the future holds for you all.

A big thank you and public acknowledgement are also required for the staff who dedicated so much time and effort to preparing this production.

To Natalie Saunders, our Lead Director, thank you for knowing the script inside-out and directing the cast in such a creative way, bringing it to life on stage. We would not have had such a smooth-flowing production without your hard work and dedication.

To Diana Gunn, our Director of Choreography, thank you for your creative vision and boundless enthusiasm in choreographing such lively and vivacious routines! Our students were challenged in the best way, and the dances looked incredible.

To Daniel Askew, our stage, lighting and sound technician, thank you for all of the work you did behind the scenes to make this musical sound and look as amazing as it did. The lighting added so much to the ambience and mood of the show, and the sound was just the perfect amount of knock your socks off.

To Amy Rowley, our Producer, backstage manager, marketing extraordinaire, props designer and more! The amount of work you put into fine-tuning so many aspects of this show has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for our programme, organising photographers and videographers, managing our backstage staff and students, organising ticket sales, and everything in between. I am so grateful.

To Kayla Stokes and Suzanne Askew, our student band leaders and Cobblebank powerhouse team. Thank you for all the bus rides between campuses and for organising logistics and permissions to allow our campuses to combine and unite as the one school we are.

Thank you for rehearsing with our student band to ensure they were up to the job of rocking with a professional live band and allowing them to showcase their talents. Thank you, Kayla, for gracing us with your rockstar prowess on the kit during the shows, and thank you, Suzanne, for assisting with operating lighting for each show.

To Olivia Cook and Steph Bertalmio, our assistant Director and Choreographer, thank you for your assistance in directing and choreographing scenes/dances. Thank you for stepping in and stepping up at all the right times, and for being two more bright and friendly faces the students could look up to each rehearsal.

To our backstage crew and props team: Nirasha Pandi, Trish Griffin, Shanelle Sertic, Mikaela Hurst and Danielle Naumcevski, thank you for giving up your time each week to source, make and repair props and for managing our backstage crew during the shows.

Finally, thank you to all staff who put their hands up to help in any way, shape or form. Producing a show takes a massive team effort, and every bit of help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you again to everyone involved: staff, students and anyone in between. The success of a show comes down to the people involved, and this group of people are truly exceptional.

Rock on everyone, and "save our strip"!

From the cast

“What I really enjoyed most about production this year was learning all the dances and songs and then performing them in front of a huge crowd!

“The highlight for me was being a protestor and protesting to save our strip! I will miss all the lovely teachers from Melton, as without them, none of us would have performed to our full potential!” Miguel, Year 8 Cobblebank Campus

“Sadly, Rock of Ages was my last school musical. Being part of this amazing experience, I had the chance to make new friends and create moments I will forever treasure.

“I will miss the rehearsals, learning new choreography and songs and transforming them into the show that truly embodied the Rock of Ages.

“The highlight for me was performing in front of primary school students and hearing them chant ‘save our strip’. I am so grateful I was able to be a part of this amazing cast and production. Rock on!” Elesha, Year 12 Melton Campus

“Rock of Ages was an amazing experience I will never forget. Over the past few months, the entire crew and cast have put countless hours of hard work and love into this show. It was amazing to build friendships with everyone and see them come out of their shell and flourish, turning the show into the acid-wash epicentre it is!

“It has been a privilege to work with everyone involved. Rock of Ages will be one of the highlights of my year, and it’s a bittersweet feeling for all of us that it's over!" Sage, Year 11 Melton Campus

"Rock of ages was such an incredible experience. The rehearsals and performances were always fun with wonderful students and teachers who taught us so much. I am so grateful to the students who joined the cast this year, the backstage teachers and students and the teachers who directed, choreographed and supervised which made this production not only possible but so exceptional. 

"The thing I will miss the most are the friends I made along the way and the theatre family we made. We all built such an amazing Sunset Strip." Erin, Year 10 Melton Campus

Amy Bandeira

Head of Performance