Thoughts on Oliver by Coco LaHood-Robinson Yr13 (Nancy)

Oliver is a captivating musical based on Charles Dicken's novel, ‘Oliver Twist’. The story follows a young orphan named Oliver who navigates the gritty streets of Victorian London. Filled with memorable songs like ‘Consider Yourself’ and ‘Food, Glorious Food,’ this musical portrays themes of poverty, friendship and hope. With its iconic characters and heartwarming plot, ‘Oliver!’ continues to enchant audiences with its timeless tale of resilience and the power of kindness. 

Participating in the renowned production of 'Oliver!' was initially daunting for me. However, as I became part of this wonderful community of warm and supportive individuals, along with a talented group of young actors and singers, I experienced a profound sense of comfort. The journey of bringing 'Oliver!' to life was a continuous commitment, commencing with vocal rehearsals in early term 2, then leading up to the careful crafting of acting, props, and costumes as we approached the deadline. This process entailed five months of after-school rehearsals and Sundays dedicated to perfecting every aspect of the show, which resulted in a truly glorious performance. 

The diverse age range of performers in this production fostered a strong sense of unity within our team. The admiration of the younger students for the senior students served as a source of inspiration, compelling them to invest their utmost effort in the show while looking up to the high school students as role models. As for the seniors, they demonstrated their love and support for the younger performers by taking them under their wing, making a genuine effort to connect and form close-knit friendships, ultimately easing the experience for everyone. For some of the students taking part in the show, the experience of stepping onto the stage was entirely new. The thought of performing for the first time, with friends, family, and the entire community watching, was a daunting and nerve-wracking prospect.

On Tuesday morning, a matinee performance was held for Alex Primary and The Terrace. This provided the primary students involved in the production with the opportunity to showcase their sprouting talent on stage to their friends and teachers. It was a great experience for the primary students to share their hard work and talent with their peers. After the matinee performance, the community had the opportunity to be entertained by three more engaging evening shows, each drawing in a supportive and enthusiastic crowd. 

This show would not have been possible without the support and dedication of the director, Nick Meissel, and the effort and time put in by Bronwyn Barnes to get everyone's voices in tune. However, it's important to recognize that many others in the community also contributed to bringing this show together, providing support and assistance at every step of the way. Many many thanks to everyone who made this show come to life.

Angus - thoughts on Oliver!

I am Angus Keene, a student from Alexandra Primary School. I am 11 years old and I am in year 7. Over the last few months I have been part of the Dunstan High School production of Oliver! I had done school productions before but this was my first big combined schools musical show. My role was Oliver Twist so I had a lot of lines to learn and had to practice a lot. There were also a lot of songs to remember and I got to sing with the chorus and perform a solo. 

I liked being part of the show because I got to meet lots of really cool people from all the different schools. We were lucky because we got to learn to act, improve our singing, and learn some dance routines from Mr and Mrs Meissel, Mrs Barnes, and Carole. There were a lot of other awesome people who helped behind the scenes. The songs were especially fun to sing, they had cool lyrics and were catchy. Even though I was nervous about performing for a big audience it was still really fun. Angus Keene (Oliver)

Dunstan High would like to sincerely thank PlaceMakers and Fulton Hogan for their generous sponsorship, also Grant Ruffell, The News, Leigh Finch, Jessica Probert, Karen Meissel, Ann Jones, David Hughes and Alexandra Musical Society, without the help from these individuals and organisations from our community it would not be possible to put on such a large production. Dunstan is incredibly grateful. Thank you to all staff, music teachers and students involved, you all did an amazing job!

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Last week the Dunstan musical Oliver wrapped up its season with a great performance on Thursday down at the Alexandra Memorial Theatre. It was great for everyone involved to show their hard work they have been putting in over the past two months and to give the community a performance they can be proud of. The kids would like to thank Mr Meissel and Mrs Barnes for giving us the opportunity to put on a show this year especially for the yr13s as it is their last show for Dunstan. Mika Tait Yr13 (Fagin)