"The arts have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential" (The Australian Curriculum).

St Columbkille's School Production of Olivia! this term, was a delightfully inspiring example of how accurate this statement is, and the very important role performing arts plays in the wholistic development of our young students.  This is the second musical Assistant Principal Maria Disibio has been involved in at St Columbkille's.  She says that not only does children's theatre benefit the creative minds of students, but also builds skills in many other areas of development.  Children learn to work together as a team and are opened up to new ways of seeing. They learn about commitment, time management, problem solving and perseverance.  Mrs Disibio says that involvement in the school musical builds confidence, allows for greater self- expression, that it promotes interpersonal skills such as empathy and compassion and strengthens the sense of community in the school.

Some may question the tremendous amount of time that is poured into producing a show like Olivia; the months of lunch times, weekends and school holidays given up for rehearsals, the additional unseen hours that the production team and staff put in, the elaborate sets, costumes and props (which are often painted over/pulled apart after performance week) skilfully created by dedicated parents and students, sometimes during the wee hours of the morning.  Unlike a season of sport, where a team performs on their 'stage' every week, the show season may seem ridiculous to some, to put in all that work for a mere three performances at the end of the journey.  But the journey is where the real learning takes place.  One student's response, when asked whether all the effort was worth it, sums it up, " I would do it all again, even if we never got to perform in front of an audience.  I can't wait for the next one"!  

Congratulations to a bunch of very bright and promising young cast and crew, led by talented Musical Director Marianne Paton and a team of dedicated St Columbkille's staff, and to parents and grandparents who gave of their time and support... what an absolutely fabulous show!