Spec week!

Hey there!

Sorry I didn't achieve my once a day post, but Spec has been so crazy and busy I just didn't have time! But without a doubt, Spec was one of the greatest experiences and I can't explain the feeling that comes when you hear your voice echo out to 10,000 people!

Here is a video I made earlier in the week showing the orchestra call/stage band call.

xx

Show Week Day 2

Hey there!

So heres the second video for show week, I'm struggling to find internet so I'm uploading whenever possible!!

Here's a vid of of when Heather Riley, Nick Kelly and I performed on 2GB radio a few weeks ago and a musical theatre rehearsal!

xx Steph

SHOW WEEK!

Hey There!

So sorry for the recent lack of videos, I've been extremely busy with travelling and school work it's been hard to fit everything in! But I've decided to upload one video a day until the Friday night show starting from tonight! I'm attempting to grab as much footage as I can and hook up to every Youth Hostel Wifi I can (I'm staying at the YHA in central, unfortunately the internet when I can get to it is very slow) and show a complete behind the scenes look at show week.

This video showcases part of the show run, some interviews with the lovely Benny Nelson and Naisa, and what some Featured Artists do in their spare lunch breaks from rehearsals!

Day 1 of 6! Remember, theres still tickets left to purchase for Our Time - Schools Spectacular 2012!

Schools Spec Blog 5 -Three Weeks To Go!

Hey There!

So it's been such a hectic week since last posting, I couldn't fit everything I wanted to into one video! This video shows the third official show run for Spec Featured Artists. I will upload a video in the next few days about the first combined rehearsal at the Entertainment Centre.

So I'm half way through spending a week in Sydney, with Saturday and Sunday being full day rehearsals at The Arts Unit. Today I spent a few hours shopping for my dress for 'Let Me Be Your Star' with the lovely costume organisers Kirstin Dickason and Sue Rix, who are also choreographers in the show. Tomorrow and Wednesday I will be at TDP, and Thursday and Friday are more Spec rehearsals!

It's scary how fast the show is coming up. So much rehearsal gets squeezed into a 2 months period, then its all over! So many great friendships are created through Spec, saying goodbye on the last Saturday night is definitely one of the hardest things to do!

Please watch and buy tickets to Spec 2012: Our Time! Like I've said so many times, you will not want to miss out!

School Spec Blog 4

Hey There!!

So heres the next Spec rehearsal video that was from the dance day at Wagga High (my school) today! It was super fun as all of the Riverina region kids put together the first part of the segment 'Our Time In Wonderland', Kathryn Fisher choreographing part of the opening song. I'm the Red Queen in this segment, and so today we choreographed a very 'courtly' inspired piece that will be performed on the stage in the segment. You'll see in the video that theres primary kids as well as high schoolers, the primary kids play cards (as in Alice in Wonderland cards) and the high school kids play servants of the Queens court.

I really love dancing in Spec as well as Featured Artist, as it gives a whole different perspective on the 'Spec' experience and really brings it back that every person in Spec is so important in putting together such an amazing show. I really owe it to the combined dance section of Spec, as I began as a combined dancer in the 2009 Spec, and that was when I first saw the Featured Artists performing, which inspired me to audition myself.

I'm off to Sydney tomorrow for more rehearsals, very excited!

xx

One month to go!

Hey Guys!

So from tomorrow it's officially a month till Spec! It's crazy how fast the months have flown by to reach this point, I honestly can't believe how quickly its coming up!

So I was given a weekend off rehearsing last weekend, as other segments were being rehearsed. This was relaxing, but I was recently shown some costume ideas for what I'll be wearing for our 'We're inviting you' segment, and that made me so excited just to get stuck back into rehearsing again! It's a busy few days of rehearsing, starting with Friday at my schools gym in Wagga with rehearsal of the segment 'Our Time In Wonderland' where part of the segment is choreographed by my dance teacher Kathryn Fisher. I will be filming on Friday the rehearsals and have a video up of that soon. I will then be flying to Sydney VERY early on the Saturday morning to begin rehearsals at 9am. We then have our show run on Sunday, and on Monday is the first combined rehearsal when a large amount of the cast in the metropolitan area rehearse together for the first time.

If you haven't already booked tickets for Spec, do it now!! It'll be an amazing show with top notch performers! Book here: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/Schools-Spectacular-tickets/artist/1072663

Schools Spectacular - Blog 3

Hey Guys!

So it's getting pretty intense already with rehearsals every week for Spec up in Sydney, which requires a lot of flying back and forth and a lot of staying with lovely friends who will put me up for the night! 

Although it can get hard to maintain energy with all the travelling, I wouldn't have it any other way. Because it is such an effort just to get to rehearsals, I don't take any moment for granted, and I'm really learning so much in a short amount of time. It's also beginning to get intense as I started year 12 this term, but Spec tries to work around school so it's manageable. 

This video shows our first movement rehearsal day where we learnt some choreography for the musical theatre pieces, and also the second rehearsal week where I spent Sunday learning chorey for Blow Gabriel Blow and Let Me Be Your Star.

I also am dancing in Spec in a segment called 'Our Time in Wonderland' where I play the Red Queen. I went to the first combined Sydney schools rehearsal for that segment on Monday. The next dance rehearsal will be at my school - Wagga Wagga High School - where the regional schools dancing in the segment will learn their choreography. I'll soon have up a video showing those rehearsals, already that segment looks amazing!

Hope you enjoy the latest video, good luck to all year 12's doing their HSC and make sure you come to Spec 2012 - Our Time!

xx

Schools Spectacular - Blog 2

Hey Everyone!

So here is my third video, which shows the second last day of the rehearsal week, the first show run! It was a super exciting day as we all performed our pieces to the creative team and the rest of the featured artists, along with being supported by the backing vocalists – a group of nine brilliant singers who sing almost the entire show and were rehearsing nine to five the entire week. I also got to have a chat with Sonja Benson, the relieving director of Spec! Throughout the next few videos you’ll also see her choreographing certain segments for the featured artists.

Definitely check this video out – already the songs sound brilliant and its fantastic to be able to see the show coming together bit by bit and seeing how the segments weave together to form a real spectacular show! I also should mention that it was featured artist Nicholas Kelly’s birthday that day, and you’ll see everyone sing him Happy Birthday at the end of the video!

Stephanie x 

State Dance Festival!

Hey everyone!

So last month I was in State Dance Festival at the Seymour Centre, which is a huge dance event on the Arts Unit calendar. State Dance Festival runs for five nights and showcases the range of dance talent from schools and ensembles across the state. This year I was lucky enough to be a part of two ensembles that performed in the festival, the first being the NSW Public Schools State Dance Ensemble performing a piece called ‘Icicle’ and the second being Wagga Wagga High School’s Senior Dance Ensemble performing the piece ‘Iron Outlaw’ that told the story of Ned Kelly. It was an extremely fun and thrilling experience as I also got to take part in several workshops over the week and see several different nights of the festival.

Here is a short video I put together about my time at State Dance Festival, showing some Wagga High dancing and State ensemble. Stay tuned for the next video on this weeks Spec rehearsals!

xx Stephanie

School Spec First Look

Hey there!

So I can’t believe how much fun I’ve had already at Spec 2012 after only three days of rehearsal! I’ve reunited with some old friends and met some beautiful new faces during the Featured Artist rehearsal week and the talent is unbelievable from all of them! My first video shows the last three days of rehearsal, the first being our featured artist launch/photoshoot, the rehearsals officially starting on the second day. 

In School Spec I am in three segments, the first being ‘Let Me Be Your Star’ where I sing the duet ‘Let Me Be Your Star’ with the lovely Natasha Hoeberigs. Next I am in a super fun segment called 'Time To Celebrate' that closes the first act of the show singing a mash up of ‘Do Your Thing’ and ‘I Got Rhythm’. I then am in the opening of the second act called ‘We’re Inviting You!’ performing ‘Juggernaut’, ‘Blow Gabriel Blow’ and ‘Lullaby Of Broadway’. They’re all beautiful songs and I’m so excited to perform them!

I will be posting another video showing the other half of the week soon. Hope you enjoy the first look of the beginning of ‘Schools Spectacular: Our Time!’

Stephanie xx

Introducing Stephanie Wall

Do what you love. This is the mantra that Stephanie Wall, 17, has lived by and is the reason why this is the fourth year she will be a part of the colour, fun and action of Schools Spectacular.

Stephanie has been dancing for the last 12 years of her life and she has a background in ballet, jazz, contemporary, musical and lyrical dance.

“My true passion is musical theatre combining signing as well, it’s a challenge but I love performing.”

When rehearsals start, Stephanie will travel more than 450 kilometres to Sydney from her hometown Wagga Wagga, which is part of the Riverina located in Central NSW.

While rehearsing, Stephanie will be blogging her experiences so that other peers can get a rare glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes of Schools Spectacular and the enormous amount of effort and work each person puts into the production.

“I couldn’t imagine not being part of Schools Spec. It’s such a huge production and I think it’s one of the biggest variety shows in the world.”

“There is so much great talent and everyone is very professional and extremely friendly. I’m so excited that I have the opportunity to blog my experience and show others just what goes into the production.”

Stephanie is looking forward to interviewing her fellow Schools Spectacular peers to include in her blog posts.

Last year, Stephanie sung and danced her way through the famous Mary Poppins musical piece, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. She found it challenging, but the active teen is up for a challenge and it will be interesting to watch her Schools Spec journey through her eyes.

After school, Stephanie hopes to continue her passion in musical theatre studying performing arts.