Excitement builds towards opening night

Production Week – Rock of Ages: High School Edition

Excitement is building as the first performance of the CMC Production Rock of Ages: High School Edition draws near; when all of the hard work and preparation will come to fruition before an audience of family, friends and the wider community.

Production Week has included last rehearsals, but the focus now shifts to more technical aspects of the show to ensure the production is ready for the audience.

Bump-in to the beautiful Ulumbarra Theatre Bendigo is an exciting next step. Fly lines are lowered to the lighting rig attach the lights and direction them. A combination of fresnels, LEDs and profiles plus data projection and haze will be used in the show. The sound set up includes radio mics for cast, audio foldback so they can hear the music and themselves on stage and mics for each of the instruments in the pit. This all goes into a sound board for mixing to get the best sound for maximum enjoyment of the favourite hits of the 80s.

The rock band has also bumped into the orchestra pit at the front of the stage. Each instrument is set up to be picked up by a microphone and through the speakers in the theatre for the audience to hear. Each musician has a speaker to listen to what they are playing. The sound engineer will mix how loud each instrument will be when the audience listens to it.

Set is one of the final things to be bumped on the stage. Some shows might have things to build on stage, some shows have pieces to be flown and other shows have pieces of set moved into position by the backstage crew during the show. Once everything is in position, the light plotting can begin. This is a process of worling out what colours and positions the lights show be in for every moment in the show.

As the highlight of the annual performing arts calendar, Rock of Ages: High School Edition is directed by Mrs Kerry Turpie and takes us back to the end of the 1980s and a time of hard rock, heavy metal and aspiring stars with big dreams. Featuring the music of classic eighties hit acts such Journey, Twisted Sister, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar and REO Speedwagon, the performance will showcase the hard work and talents of our students and staff.

The final stage before taking the show to the public will be an exclusive preview performance for the Grade 5 and 6 students of the Bendigo Catholic primary schools on Friday afternoon.

The show opens this Friday night at 7.30pm at the Ulumbarra Theatre. Tickets are available now from the Box Office: https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/arts-culture-theatres/event/catherine-mcauley-college-presents-rock-of-ages