More than 80 students will be busy on stage and behind the curtain for Bendigo South East College’s production of The Wizard of Oz on Wednesday and Thursday.
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The production takes to the stage tonight with BSE performing in Ulumbarra for the second time.
Show director John Murray said the student’s experience the spacious Ulumbarra stage was a great teaching tool.
“At school we retract the seats in hall and from back of hall to front of stage is the size of (the Ulumbarra) stage,” he said.
“It’s enormously important for young performers to help them get a sense of how to use the space as dramatic space to create tension.
“For people who haven't (performed) here before, they can be a bit like rabbits in headlights because it is so big.
“But after working in the space once and knowing there will be an audience, the students were really good and they'll be fine to go on with it.”
The Wizard of Oz features a number of students who take part in BSE’s Academy of Creative Arts program.
Max Harris, who plays the Cowardly Lion, has been with the program since it started two years ago.
He is excited to tread the boards in a classic musical like The Wizard of Oz.
“It is such a classic, not just in America but worldwide. It's been teaching kids morals since 1939,” he said.
“I’m enjoying playing the Cowardly Lion. He is completely different from me and the way I would act. It is a fun challenge to think about how he would react and think about certain things.”
The Wizard of Oz will be Harris’, who is in year 10, last BSE production.
“Sadly I have to move (to senior school) but I am glad we are going out with a bang,” he said.
“Since the start of the ACA, I have seen the progress of a lot of people and it’s incredible.
“The whole point of ACA is getting knowledgeable people who know their craft coming to teach students. If you have got passion, the best way to get better is doing more of it.”
Bendigo South East College presents The Wizard of Oz at Ulumbarra on Wednesday and Thursday from 7.30pm.
Visit www.thecapital.com.au/Whats_On for tickets.