A 1.8-metre-tall, man-eating plant puppet that will take three students to operate is just one of the colourful features of Matthew Flinders Anglican College’s upcoming production of sci-fi rock musical, Little Shop of Horrors, showing 23-25 May.
The local community is invited to purchase tickets to the high-energy production on at Flinders’ Performance Centre in Buderim, showing at 7:30pm over three nights from 23-25 May and also at 2pm for a matinee on Saturday, 25 May.
Little Shop of Horrors was first produced at Matthew Flinders Anglican College 24 years ago in 1995, and some of the original lead stars are returning for a special musical vignette in the foyer on the opening night.
The lead role of Audrey will be played by Flinders Year 11 student Jessica Rolle – whose sister played the lead in Flinders’ 2015 The Wizard of Oz production.
Other lead roles in Little Shop of Horrors include Flinders Year 12 students Ben Haigh, Ashton Wrigley, Matilda Smith and Declan Farmiloe.
Jessica said the show was a hilarious, vibrant and daring musical theatre masterpiece, making it great fun for both the cast and audience.
“Our student cast of 46 actors (including lead roles, principal dancers, the chorus and the ‘Doo Wop’ girls), 12 orchestral musicians, 4 stage crew, 3 tech crew, and 3 puppeteers are excited to be in final rehearsals for this unique show,” Jessica said.
“In total, we have had 15 weeks of rehearsals, two afternoons each week, and two weekend rehearsals – we are starting to feel ready!
“We have been challenged by this quirky script and rock music to step-up and be adventurous actors, singers, musicians, technicians and designers – there is nothing quite like Little Shop of Horrors!
“We want to encourage our local community to come along with friends and family and enjoy the catchy songs, hilarious dances and stunning set design.
“We also want to thank our parents, through Friends of Production, and our dedicated teachers for their mentoring, support and fundraising efforts in helping us to create a successful show.”
Director and Drama teacher Xanthe Coward says the real magic of theatre is the way in which a production of this scale comes together, with rich rewards for performing artists, staff and audiences.
“We could not have had more fun with this show, and we hope the Sunshine Coast enjoys its incredible artistry and the amazing talent featured both on stage and off," Xanthe said.
The show is guided by many talented and passionate Flinders teachers, including Nick Campbell as musical director and producer Rob Neale who has been instrumental in managing the logistics of the largest scaffold set to ever go into the Flinders Performance Centre, and the transport from Townsville of the 1.8-metre-tall plant puppet.
Showing at the Flinders Performance Centre in Buderim, the opening night of Little Shop of Horrors is designed to a New York theme to match the show’s setting, with a food van outside serving New York-style food such as fajitas, burgers and doughnuts for purchase from 6pm, and a cash bar open for purchasing drinks.
The opening night will also feature a special musical vignette at 6:30pm in the Upper Foyer, performed by Flinders’ alumni who played lead roles in the 1995 production of Little Shop of Horrors.
Along with the impressive plant puppet, other set features include a dentist chair that weighs 100kg, a Flower Shop that revolves 360 degrees, and scaffold structures that reach up to 4.5 metres high to represent a two-storey building.
Matthew Flinders Anglican College is a school of 1300 students from Prep to Year 12 with a strong musical excellence program and a commitment to involving every child in music during their schooling at Flinders.
In the Primary School, Flinders’ annual Year 6 musical is an opportunity for every child in the cohort to be involved in the College production, which this year will be Aladdin, to be held in early November.
For tickets to Matthew Flinders Anglican College’s Production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/BBSGU
Little Shop of Horrors
Session Times: Thursday, 23 May at 7:30pm (opening night), Friday 24 May 7:30pm, and Saturday 25 May 2:00pm and 7:30pm
Venue: Matthew Flinders Anglican College, Performance Centre, 1-47 Stringybark Road, Buderim, Sunshine Coast
Flinders website: www.mfac.edu.au
