The Inaugural Concert on the new Piano

The inaugural concert for the new piano is coming up soon.  Monday 11 April this year, we will be holding a variety concert including Dance, Drama and Music, to show off and thank the donors of the funds for the new piano.

An upright grand piano was purchased recently, with funds given from the Wairarapa Choral Society.  The funding was gifted to help the growing choir at the school.  We chose to purchase a performance piano to accompany our vocalists.

The concert will include invited dignitaries, members of the Symphony Orchestra playing, and all donations given to the Stage Challenge crew of 2011.  The show will be fantastic, and all should move heaven and earth to attend.

Shakespeare in Schools: 5 Minute Scene

Well, with the Regional event in 3 weeks, it is time to announce who will be representing us in the Intercollegiate event.  It was a tough decision, and one that we debated for some time.  In the end we chose Darren Dingle and Lexie Fleming with their interpretation of "King Lear".

Congratulations.

There scene was selected because it was the most original interpretation of a script, with a concept that would work well for the play as a whole. 

Acting performances of note during the school show were Alessandra Giorgioni as Lady MacBeth, Dominic Hawke as the Porter, Finn Shepherd as MacBeth, Liam Nixon as Queen Gertrude and Connor Henare as Romeo.  Well done, one and all.

Shakespeare in Schools

Kaden Saywell and Alessandra Giorgioni in "MacBeth"

This Monday we are holding our school competition to see who will represent Kuranui at the Regional Sheillah Winn Shakespeare in Schools Festival in April.  There are so many great scenes to choose from this year.

On Monday night, starting at 7:30, an invitation-only audience will be endulged in Shakespeare with a student-directed flair.  However, here are a few images of our dress rehearsals.

Liam Nixon and Oliver Healy in "Hamlet"

Chaedyn Dukes in "Two Gentlemen of Verona"

Katie James and Callum Moore in "Hamlet"

Stage Challenge 2011

Stage Challenge is well underway at Kuranui College.  Charlotte Taylor and Jamie Howatson have taken on the responsibility of creating the Stage Challenge ideas and choreography themselves.  They have been doing so well with their large cast of dancers.

Katie James and Isle Botha have been working on the introduction to the sequence and it looks really awesome.

Ms Pratt can be very proud of her dancers this year.

A little bit of Magic

Today we hosted a wonderful pair of German Magicians at Kuranui.  Tuturumuri School came out for a show and a workshop, followed by our students.

We saw some amazing feats, which left the audience spellbound and incapable of clapping.... and then learnt some cool tricks.

A small warning, watch out for disappearing coins, rubber bands and magic string when on Kuranui school grounds. :D

Nicky Carlisle learns the magic string trick

Lexie Fleming making multiple red balls appear

Dylan Johnson making balls disappear

Hirini Tamihana is amazed as he cuts a rope with magic scissors

Ashleigh Banks has her thoughts read

Anthony Faafoi monitors the use of giant bubbles

Lesley Wichman, Ryan James and Dylan Johnson watch the tricks carefully

Rehearsal Schedule

Now that the year is well underway, the week is filling with rehearsals occupying our students.  Lunchtime rehearsals are important.  Bring your lunch as most rehearsals begin at 1:20pm.

Mondays - Shakespeare
Othello rehearsals in the auditorium

Tuesdays - Glee Club
Glee rehearsals in the Music Room

Wednesdays - Stage Challenge
Jamie's group in the Dance Studio

Thursdays - Stage Challenge
Charlotte's group in the Dance Studio

Fridays - Shakespeare
Othello rehearsal in the auditorium

Soon we will be adding a schedule for Theatresports and Circus. 

Mascotting with Pride

Well, in another busy week of rehearsals, we managed to slip in something a little different.

A group of students, under 170cm tall, traveled to Masterton to be the Ruggerbeez, a crew from Small Blacks TV, on the Rugby Trophy Tour of New Zealand, in preparation for the World Cup in September.  The task was fun, but tiring.  In the 4 hours, we were buffeted by wind, rain and insane heat.  To add to the challenge, the costumes were thousands of dollars each, so we had to be careful, and were incredibly hot inside.  When adding the challenge of 10 year old boys who wanted to tackle the mascots, it became a real challenge.

However, the crew kept their cool, remained in character, held babies, posed for photographs, and even managed some fantastic kicking, rivaling Dan Carter himself.

Thanks to Lexie Fleming  and Oliver Healy for helping to mind and dress the mascots, and to the mascots themselves, Nicholas Smith, Zoe Renor, Olivia Wilson, Dylan Johnson, and Hope Sexton.

Meeting and Greeting

The Crew, Mascots, Alternates and Minders

Kicking

Juniors Olivia Wilson, Dylan Johnson and Hope Sexton with Zoe Renor (in Costume)

Zoe with the Bledisloe Cup