Stage-show spectacular and audience firm favourite, Hairspray, was recently showcased at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre from 15-17 July.

In an endeavour to encourage local participation in the event, the promotors cast about 600 young people, aged between 9 and 21, for the dance scenes and general ensemble.

A group of Medowie children were amongst those selected to perform in this once in a lifetime experience.

To be selected as part of the ensemble, the prospective performers auditioned with Harvest Rain in December 2015.

The Medowie contingent selected from this audition for the ensemble included Roshan Francke, Rhianna Perry, Amelia Cochrane, and Skyla Conlon.

Miss Skyla Conlon, age 10, told Medowie News Of The Area, “I enjoyed Hairspray very much.”

“It was a great opportunity to make awesome news friends and to be in the same room as 600 wonderful people who all like the same thing as me, acting, singing and dancing.”

They spent their April holidays attending a boot camp to prepare for the live stage shows.

The young performers had the opportunity to meet the cast of the show too, with Miss Conlon saying, “I loved meeting the case and was amazed at how many people I knew who came to watch the show!”

The selected performers were part of the mass ensemble for the Newcastle showing of Hairspray and performed alongside the principal case members touring around Australia.

Mother to Skyla, Ms Samantha Conlon, told Medowie News of The Area, “The show was big, vibrant and really exciting.”

“The kids had to design their own characters around guidelines allocated to the different groups and were in charge of choosing their own costumes to help build their characters.”

It was not an easy show to perform in, and the young people had to demonstrate they were committed to it, by attending up to eight days of rehearsals, accumulating about 40 hours of practice.

 

By Heather SHARP