A YEAR IN PERFORMING ARTS AT ELTHAM COLLEGE

2023 was another enormous and successful year for ELTHAM College Performing Arts.

In May, in conjunction with the VCE Theatre Studies class, we produced our inaugural boutique production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee . In this Year 10 – 12 musical, we partnered with Year 9 student Luca Miraglia to incorporate approximately 50 different Auslan phrases (which received a Lyrebird Judges Award for its beautiful execution). This was a task the entire production and creative team felt passionate about and it was an enriching learning experience for all involved.

In August, the College was one of the first schools in the state to produce the musical Heathers: Teen Edition, with students in Years 9 – 12. The success of the production influenced several other schools in the state to produce the musical, as it touches on important themes relevant to the 21st century learner.

In October/November, we produced CLUE: High School Edition for our Year 5 – 8 Production. Due to the popularity of auditions, the production was double cast and performed over two weekends. Arguably one of the best learning experiences was having students in Year 11 (Luca Macali and Bethany Riggs) and Year 12 (Alyssa Ktistakis), as well as past students Millie Craven (Class of 2022) and Devlin Stewart (Class of 2017) assistant direct the production.

What makes ELTHAM College productions so special is the community created throughout the creative process. Staff, students and family members contribute their time, energy and passion into the productions to ensure they are a success.

We were thrilled to receive 30 Lyrebird Nominations and an additional three Judges Awards for the 2023 Senior Musical productions, the most the College has historically received. However, more important than the nominations and awards, the highlight of this year has been witnessing the emotional development and maturity of the young students who work on the productions over the duration of the year.

We look forward to continuing this success in 2024. We will be announcing our two College productions on Tuesday 6 February in the Clarke Auditorium, so stay tuned!

Dylan Licastro Head of Performing Arts ELTHAM College

Another year, and a lot has changed in the world, including the ways in which we navigate it.

Storms like these deepen our roots as individuals and communities and ensure we remain connected to our communities. The ELTHAM College Alumni Association has always strived to strengthen our roots; to reach, connect and support our Alumni by creating a values-driven, supportive, diverse and fruitful community.

In 2023, we continued to offer a diverse range of events for our 10,000+ past students and parents, and over 3,000 past staff, providing many opportunities to build upon the lifelong connections that anchor us to ELTHAM College.

These events included our school reunion celebrations, ECAMP musical performances, partnerships with the Research Eltham Collegians Cricket Club (RECCC) and Eltham Turtles Football Club, and our mentoring programs.

We also expanded our school connection activities, recognising the importance of our visibility with students and parents, and fostering relationships between alumni and students. These activities included supporting the Year 10 retreat, hosting the Year 12 Transition to Life assembly, supporting the Senior School Careers Expo, gifting exam good luck packs for Year 12 students, sponsoring a Year 12 dinner and other career-based workshops for students.

2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year as we approach a historic 50 years of ELTHAM College. We are looking forward to an exciting array of celebrations where we are able to reflect on our story, celebrate our achievements and embed