Swordfights and songs have been battling with English and economics as Phoenix P-12 Community College goes pirate for the school’s annual musical theatre production.
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About 60 students are in the cast, band and backstage crew for the school’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance.
The production moved in to Federation University’s Founders Hall on Thursday where a full dress rehearsal was held – the last run through before audience members fill up the 660 seat hall.
Their first performance will be to pupils from local primary schools on Friday afternoon before family, friends and the wider community fill the seats for three public performances – one on Friday night and two on Saturday.
“We decided to do something a bit different given all our productions recently have been contemporary,” said head of arts Alex Patterson.
“It’s operetta – different to others we’ve done.”
There was slight concern whether teens would engage with a musical first performed almost 150 years ago.
“It was something of a risk choosing Pirates of Penzance and what the students would think of something like this. Going from High School Musical (the school’s 2017 production) to Pirates has been a huge jump but the students are having fun being pirate characters,” Mr Patterson said.
Tickets are available at the door or through trybooking. Adults $10, students/concession $5, family $25.