The New Year has certainly kicked off for Hagley’s Performing Arts department - it’s a hive of activity already!

We were very pleased to award two scholarships to assist students who successfully auditioned for tertiary study in 2018. Charvel Matiu received the Sheryl Robinson Memorial Scholarship (named after the founder of Hagley Dance Company). Charvel came to us from the North Island on recommendation from her teacher and excelled in her one year of study with us. Lauren Beckwith took away the Seamus Casey Memorial Scholarship (named after a former Hagley Theatre Company student) after completing just one year of study.

Both Charvel and Lauren will start their tertiary courses with UNITEC (Auckland) this year.

2018 has barely begun but there is no rest for Hagley Theatre Company students. 2nd year student actors have already completed a successful primary school tour of Robin Hood and preparations and rehearsals are underway for the first public season of Scene+ at the end of March. This involves the full company and features scenes from a number of plays, accompanied by food tasters from Hagley’s School of Cuisine.

Take a walk past X-Block and you’ll hear the humming and strumming as our music students launch into their programmes. Various choirs, bands and ensembles are being created and senior students are in rehearsal already for their presentation at the end of Term 1, a selection of songs from popular musicals The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors.

Drama and Film have started fleshing out their initial projects and Hagley Dance Company students are scouting locations for their upcoming In Situ performance season.

That is certainly enough to keep us all busy! Keep an eye out for performance opportunities coming soon…