Students star in creative spectrum

IN CHARACTER: Grant High School students Caitlin McMahon, Maisie Hart and Bri Scanlon as the "gossip girls"
CREATIVE: Grant High School’s musical Spectrum will include locally designed and created puppets the Kryptids.

GRANT High School students are delving into their creative side as they prepare for this year’s musical Spectrum.

Created especially for the school by musical duo Scott Maxwell and Mike Bakker, the production showcases the talent of around 65 students from the Mount Gambier high school.

Producer and assistant director Abbey Marston-Kleemann said audiences should expect to be “blown away” by the outstanding performance.

“Preparations are going really well, we have been rehearsing almost every day and everything is slowly coming together,” she said.

“The students have loved being involved – we are so lucky to have such a talented cast.”

Based on an old mining town which has been shut down due to the operation’s unlawful environment affect, the musical follows the journey of a big shot businessman who plans to reinstate the mine and cash in on the operation.

Fighting against the villain’s plans, the town’s children then come together to ensure the town remains a safe place to live.

Using colourful costumes, heavy rock music and giant puppets called kryptids, the production has it all.

“The kryptids were Mike’s idea and were inspired by something he had seen people using in America,” Ms Marston-Kleeman said.

“We just adapted them to how we wanted it in our musical and they ended up taking around three weeks to make.”

With the help of choreographer Laura Mancuso, junior choreographers Maisie Hart and Caitlin McMahon, costume designer Amy Widdicombe and set construction leader Nathanael Todd, students are finishing off the final touches before they take to the stage next week.

Spectrum will be performed four times at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre on September 28 and 29.

IN CHARACTER: Grant High School students Caitlin McMahon, Maisie Hart and Bri Scanlon as the “gossip girls”