College Production
Emmaus College boasts a proud tradition of high quality musical theatre productions.
Emmaus’s shows have received much praise from the College and the local theatre community. In particular, Footloose (2006), Disney’s High School Musical (2007) and Seussical: The Musical (2008) set a very high standard in youth theatre. These shows were nominated for 45 awards at the Lyrebird Youth Awards.
Through productions, Emmaus students are provided with the opportunity to develop and refine their acting, dancing and singing skills, while proving their capacity to work to deadlines as part of a team. The cast rehearse two to three days a week, and devote much of their free time working to improve on previous years’ performances.
Students of Emmaus perform all music for the shows. The backstage crew is also made up of Emmaus students, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure smooth set and costume changes.
In 2009, Emmaus will be performing The Wiz, a Broadway musical based on The Wizard of Oz. Over 100 students auditioned for approximately 40 parts in the show to be performed during the July/August of 2009. The Whitehorse Centre in Nunawading will be home to The Wiz for the weeks of performances.
Lyrebird Youth Awards
Emmaus College’s exceptional standard of musical theatre productions has seen the College become a regular fixture at the Lyrebird Youth Awards. 2008’s production, Seussical: The Musical, received 15 nominations in 11 categories, and produced 9 winners, including Best Production.
Emmaus received 17 nominations for Footloose (2006), and won awards in all but two of the nominated categories. High School Musical (2007) achieved similar success, with 13 nominations and multiple Lyrebirds.
In previous years, students from Emmaus have been selected to present Lyrebird awards for other categories.