MUSICAL TALENTS
Bold scale means school needs to rain in the dollars
CAIRNS State High School is putting its money where its chorus of mouths is for its annual musical.
The school’s production of Singin’ In The Rain has $100,000 behind it and will be the first time CPAC has used its rain stage effects.
Singin’ In The Rain producer and Cairns State High School head of performing arts Nicole Iodice told the Cairns Post there were no grants to help cover the extraordinary cost of the production.
But she said there was plenty of in-kind support from the community.
“I’m not sure we could pull something off in this grand scale without the help of parents,” she said.
“There have even been parents helping whose kids don’t even go to the school anymore. From sewing, to painting, to set construction, to assisting with hair and makeup, to creating the entire rain set … parents have been our lifesavers.”
But it’s not just parents who are going above and beyond to make the show happen – the actors have had to miss classes and participate in longer-thanaverage days to get the musical up and running.
“Students have been given ample notice about missing school this week and so time management has been the key message delivered,” Ms Iodice said. “Obviously the school is extremely supportive of the musical and the huge culture it creates within the community, so are very accommodating of students who may miss deadlines this week. Ultimately though, students are juggling multiple commitments.”
Lead actor Finn GeorgeNewman, who plays Cosmo Brown, said it was all worth it.
“It’s definitely a privilege,” he said.
“We’ve got a big audience so we’re very lucky to be in a big space like CPAC.”
He said the musical was a timeless tale of wanting to make it in the spotlight – a tale he could closely relate to.
“I’ve been performing since I was six, so hopefully in the near future I can pursue this further,” he said.
“It’s relatively easy to slip in (to character). Cosmo’s kind of like the comic relief, and I can relate to that.”
Singin’ In The Rain will be performed for a matinee and an evening show both today and tomorrow.
Today’s matinee is at noon, with the evening show at 7.30pm.
Tickets to Singin’ In The Rain are $36.75 for adults, $26.25 for concession card holders and $21 for children, and are available online from Ticketlink or from the CPAC box office.