Katoomba High School has been named a finalist in the Wakakirri Story Dance Challenge, for a student-led production of Lord of the Flies.
The piece has won the Best Adapted Story Award and was commended by the judges for its gritty approach to telling the story of the survival of the fittest.
The school is one of six finalists to perform at the Sydney Secondary Awards Night on September 10 at NIDA Theatres. The six schools are all in the running for the coveted national Story of the Year Award, decided by Wakakirri’s national panel.
Year 11 student Lauren Hastie directed Katoomba High’s 2017 production of Lord of the Flies, and helped create the latest retelling, which focused on drama and dance rather than dialogue.
“It was hard to convey that [the story] on stage, but with a lot of hard work we brought it together,” she said.
“We recycled a lot of the set pieces and props.”
Thirty students were involved in the retelling, from years 7 to 11.
The soundtrack, which was mixed by student Mariner Jaros-Grilli, has also been nominated for an award.
Meanwhile, also on September 10, the Katoomba High School Dance Ensemble will perform at the ‘Transform’ NSW Public Schools State Dance Festival at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.
The dance ensemble features passionate students from years 7-10 with exemplary dance skills.
The students were chosen based on their performance earlier this year at the Synergy Dance Festival where they received wonderful feedback from the state panel.
Tickets for the Wakakirri event can be booked via Ticketek and the Seymour Centre for the state dance festival.