Year 6 students presented their musical production of ‘Alice’, based on the story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in Week 3 under the direction of Ms Jessica Foster and Mrs Ruth Shrimpton.

The production was a culmination of the Year 6’s work in Drama and Music over Semester 1. It came alive with vibrant performances, colourful costumes and fantastical animations, turning the Newman Theatre into the absurd Wonderland.

It was unfortunate that COVID-19 restrictions prevented the girls from presenting the production to their families. However, they were able to perform to the Junior and Lower Junior students who appreciated and enjoyed the colour, energy and magic of the production.

A video recording of the performance will be shared with the Wilderness community in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we are happy to share with you some photographs that capture the work of the Year 6 girls and their teachers.

Music

Ensemble Rehearsals and the Annual Showcase of Music

All co-curricular music ensembles have now resumed face-to-face rehearsals and the girls are working hard in readiness for the upcoming Showcase of Music.

In line with current restrictions, Elder Hall is currently operating at 50 per cent capacity and this will limit the number of people we can have in the audience. We will be emailing parents with further information and the TryBooking link in the coming week, so please look out for this.

Stage 2 Solo Performance Recital

On Monday 23 August, our Stage 2 Solo Performance students will perform in an intimate recital in Hender Hall, commencing at 6.00pm. To stay within the current room capacity requirements, only parents of the girls involved have been invited. However, we would like the Year 9 and 10 girls currently studying Music to attend to learn more about the subject. The girls undertaking the performance would appreciate the support from their peers. If your daughter is studying Music, we would love it if you could arrange for them to be there.

Eisteddfod Success – Isabelle Yu

We would like to congratulate Year 11 student, Isabelle Yu, on her wonderful success in last week’s Adelaide Eisteddfod. Entering two highly competitive senior divisions, S306 (Junior String Concerto Solo, 16 Years and Under) and S314 (Romantic Era 18 Years and Under), Isabelle placed first and second, respectively. Well done, Isabelle!

Farewell to Mekhla Kumar

It is with great sadness that we farewell one of our music staff this week. From next week, Ms Mekhla Kumar will no longer be teaching piano or accompanying our choirs at Wilderness School.

Mekhla has been successful in her application to teach and enter the Postgraduate Performance Degree at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana, USA, a wonderful opportunity indeed.

It has been an absolute pleasure having Mekhla on our staff. I know that the girls will miss her very much. Mekhla was, is, and always will be a Wildy girl - graduating in 2006 and working alongside our team for the past six years. We wish her all the very best and hope to welcome her back sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Anna Lenartowicz
Head of Music

Year 9 Film and Animation

The creation of ‘Wesley’

During Semester 1, the Year 9 Film and Animation classes collaborated on the development and creation of a new mini-series called ‘Wesley’. The series tells the comical tale of Wesley, who is a man on a mission to find the perfect job and be kind to everyone..

In Week 6 of Term 2, the girls had the opportunity to finally head out on location and shoot their films. Working in groups, they built their story concepts for their episodes, wrote and developed their screenplays and then began to plan for their film shoots. They sourced amazing locations and actors, created their shot lists, storyboards and shooting schedules, and practiced their production skills.

Once on set, they had the chance to work with film industry professionals who mentored the girls as they took on film production roles such as Sound Recordists, Cinematographers, Production Designers, First Assistant Directors and Directors. It was wonderful to see all their hard work in the pre-production phase pay off as they captured some superb footage.

The Editors and Animators have since done their part in the creative process, and we are excited to announce that Wesley the mini-series will red-carpet premiere at the Wilderness Fringe in Week 5 of Term 4. We hope to see you there to celebrate the girl’s amazing achievement and enjoy the premiere of the first ever Year 9 Film and Animation miniseries.

Hal Bruce
Head of Creative Industries