St Ignatius College Drysdale has had the entire year to prepare for its stage production Wicked and one of the lead characters said it was exciting to finally deliver the show.
Originally scheduled for August, Wicked, a wildly successful Broadway musical, was pushed back due to the pandemic, but now it’s all systems go.
Paris Walsh, who plays Glinda the good witch, said she didn’t even know Wicked was a musical until she found out the school was planning to bring it to the community.
“We’ve been rehearsing non-stop pretty much since the start of the year,” the 18-year-old said.
“It’s so exciting. It’s my first lead role.”
Paris will take to the stage alongside a stellar cast, including Zoe Walter, who plays Elphaba.
She has previously been involved in the school’s rendition of Beauty and the Beast and School of Rock. They are backed by a full orchestra.
Paris said she has been singing since she started high school.
“I joined the choir, but I was never really confident, but this has made me realise I can actually do it,” she said.
“I’d like to pursue it (drama) in the future. I’m having a gap year next year so I’ll look to do some auditions and follow it further.”
Despite being good friends with her fellow actor Zoe, Paris said there was nothing awkward about playing characters who initially don’t like each other.
“We’re pretty close so it’s easy to act and know we’re not being serious,” she said
Paris said the show’s choreography, backed by singing and dancing tuition from teachers Rhea Walker and Marina Brown, would be a highlight for the crowd.
Paris said theatre-goers would be surprised by the sheer talent of the production.
“The amount of local talent at our school is amazing,” she said.
“It really feels like a Broadway show.”
Wicked is at Costa Hall, Geelong, on December 9 and 10 from 7.30pm. Tickets: geelongartscentre.org.au/whats-on
