Edgewater College’s recent production of the high-energy stage musical Sister Act received an incredible 10 nominations in this year’s Auckland Live Showdown performing arts competition.
Most Auckland schools that produce a show each year enter the competition. Two Showdown judges visited Edgewater College to watch two performances of Sister Act.
Once they’d seen all the plays and musicals from the schools that entered, the nominations were announced for various award categories.
Edgewater College’s production of Sister Act received nominations for Best Make-Up and Costume Design, Best Set Design (Allan Vester), Best Performer in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Danica Tupa’i as Mother Superior), Best Performer in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Vernice Padayogdog), Best Performer in a Lead Role in a Musical (Melenaite ‘Jorja’ Panapa), Best Ensemble in a Musical, Best Choreography (Melody Lui-Webster), Best Musical Director (Evonne Cheng), Best Director of a Musical (Shaun Holmes), and Outstanding Musical.
Holmes, the head of the school’s music department, says it’s been a “long journey” for him with the production of Sister Act.
“I’ve tried to get the rights to do this show in New Zealand for well over 10 years.
“It wasn’t only until this last year that New Zealand theatre companies were able to access these rights, which made Edgewater College only the third school in New Zealand to put on this production.”
All the stars seemed to align this year, Holmes says.
“We hadn’t done a production since Chicago in 2019 due to the Covid years.
“We’d lost a culture of productions so 98 per cent of the cast and crew had never been in a school show before.
“This was going to be a challenge as I knew the songs, dances and libretto were more challenging than your average school show.”
He was “pleasantly surprised” when the auditions for the production began in March, and it was then he knew he could have something special.
Rehearsals began and the person who choregraphed the school’s 2019 production of Chicago, Melody Lui-Webster, returned for Sister Act.
“Being the daughter of a teacher at our school it was a gamble, but Melody lives and breathes musicals and she did an amazing job with our cast this year,” Holmes says.
“We were very lucky. As for all the other roles, it was done in-house.
“Led by me as director and Evonne Cheng as musical director, hours were poured into this show.
“Students were challenged to move well outside their comfort zones and they all rose to the occasion.”
Holmes has been directing productions at Edgewater College for 17 years. He says its production of Sister Act will “leave the biggest imprint”.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more hard-working and diligent bunch of exceptional young people who all came together to produce what is Edgewater’s best production yet.”
The Auckland Live Showdown awards night is held at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna on November 6.
