Kooringal High are in the final days of preparation for the debut of their latest musical, The Family Band.
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Musical Director, writer and composer of the show Gus Belling described the show as being "Centered around two characters, Vicki and Chad, and about betrayal, redemption and also self-discovery."
Mr Belling, who is also the school's music teacher, said there were many layers to the production.
"It is about friendship and figuring out who you want in your life and how those people can affect you," he said.
Since conception of the story line last year, auditions began at the start of this year and have involved students and staff of all faculties.
"We've had all different areas working together, so actors, dancers and musicians, as well as the entertainment crew for lights and construction workers who helped build the set," he said.
"It's a massive production with over 200 students involved."
One of the students playing the lead role of Chad as an actor and singer is Harry Moorby.
"Chad is a bloke from a small town who wants to pursue his career in music, and he has to face challenges along the way and decide what he is prepared to sacrifice to make it big," he said.
"It's been super exciting, you get to delve into the role of a different person and I think that's the most exciting part, being able to transform into someone completely new."
Mr Moorby said his involvement in the production spanned further than onstage work.
"We've played around with different parts to the songs as a team which has been great and seeing as I've had no experience singing before this it's been great to have that support from everyone," he said.
"At first it seemed a bit daunting singing in front of a lot of people without any practice, but after you do it for a while you get a bit more confident in yourself."
Director of the Production and Kooringal High drama teacher, Bernadette Kennedy, said it was an exciting project to be a part of.
"This is my first year at Kooringal High and first time directing a production, and I've been overwhelmed by the professionalism of the students," she said.
"We are having a great time and I'm learning as much from everyone here as I hope they are from me."
Ms Kennedy said the production reflected many of the values held by the students.
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"It's all about friendship and being true to yourself and finding your inner strength to do what really makes you happy and not letting anyone get in the way," she said.
"There are 12 original songs written by Gus and with student involvement to add the extra layers, so it is truly a bit of a baby of the school."
Ben Nosworthy is another student actor playing the role of the antagonist.
"I'm the bad guy of this year's musical, he really just wants money, doesn't care who is in the way, will just go full head first and do whatever he wants," he said.
"It's great fun experimenting with every little thing like small movements and bringing these outbursts of anger to life."
Mr Nosworthy said he had different techniques to tap into the character's persona.
"Last year I was Cat in the Hat so I kind of want to put a little bit of that into this character, so he'll be very angry but also a bit crazy and all over the place," he said.
"At first it was very different for me, but I thought about it and thought about it and said, you know what, I can actually do this role and take real life experiences like anger from my sister or something."
The final dress rehearsal will be on Sunday, followed by the school matinee performance Wednesday and the opening night to the public on Thursday, June 20 at Kooringal High.
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