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'Exhilarating': Students take the spotlight at Civic Theatre for DioSounds

'Exhilarating': Students take the spotlight at Civic Theatre for DioSounds

The Advertiser3 days ago

Musicians played a funky jazz riff as lights spotlighted budding stars belting out Michael Buble's rendition of Feeling Good on the Newcastle Civic Theatre stage.
This is only the beginning of the Catholic schools' annual DioSounds performance.
Ahead of the June 5 evening show, the Newcastle Herald caught a sneak peek inside the 130-minute musical performance from 13 Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese secondary schools.
In its 18th year, DioSounds features more than 450 high school students in small ensembles, choirs and concert bands performing under the theme One Call. One Mission.
Phoebe Porter, a year 12 student at All Saints' College Maitland, was sad to be taking to the stage for her last year.
"It's been such a journey, from my first DioSounds you see not only yourself grow but others grow as well," she said.
"I get to see all the year sevens and how they enjoy it as much as I did in my first year."
Ms Porter will be singing in her school's mash-up of Silverchair's The Greatest View, Harry Styles' Music for a Sushi Restaurant and Sister Sledge's We Are Family.
"It starts slow and then it builds up, and it's just so much fun, it's a fun one to groove out to with everyone," she said.
Ms Porter and her fellow performers Charley Hill and Emma Whiting said it was a great chance to meet musically inclined students from other schools.
"It's so good to be with a group of like-minded people who have the same interests as you," Ms Porter said.
St Joseph's Catholic College, Aberdeen's Jimmy Dever has been a performer ever since he can remember.
"I've been singing since birth," he said.
"It's always something that's been so special to me and it's so surreal when you're in the moment."
Mr Dever will be singing in his school's mash-up that includes Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing and The Killers' Mr Brightside.
"It's so exhilarating to be on stage," he said.
Flautist Hazel Keeble from Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie was "pumped" to perform for her second year.
"We get a bunch of talented, strong individuals who come together and show off their talent," she said.
Her school is staging Australian singer G-Flip's version of Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer and Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4.
"I like that I can play more than just classical music, and I love how energetic I can be with the flute," she said.
Students will take to the Newcastle stage from 6.30pm on Thursday, June 5.
Musicians played a funky jazz riff as lights spotlighted budding stars belting out Michael Buble's rendition of Feeling Good on the Newcastle Civic Theatre stage.
This is only the beginning of the Catholic schools' annual DioSounds performance.
Ahead of the June 5 evening show, the Newcastle Herald caught a sneak peek inside the 130-minute musical performance from 13 Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese secondary schools.
In its 18th year, DioSounds features more than 450 high school students in small ensembles, choirs and concert bands performing under the theme One Call. One Mission.
Phoebe Porter, a year 12 student at All Saints' College Maitland, was sad to be taking to the stage for her last year.
"It's been such a journey, from my first DioSounds you see not only yourself grow but others grow as well," she said.
"I get to see all the year sevens and how they enjoy it as much as I did in my first year."
Ms Porter will be singing in her school's mash-up of Silverchair's The Greatest View, Harry Styles' Music for a Sushi Restaurant and Sister Sledge's We Are Family.
"It starts slow and then it builds up, and it's just so much fun, it's a fun one to groove out to with everyone," she said.
Ms Porter and her fellow performers Charley Hill and Emma Whiting said it was a great chance to meet musically inclined students from other schools.
"It's so good to be with a group of like-minded people who have the same interests as you," Ms Porter said.
St Joseph's Catholic College, Aberdeen's Jimmy Dever has been a performer ever since he can remember.
"I've been singing since birth," he said.
"It's always something that's been so special to me and it's so surreal when you're in the moment."
Mr Dever will be singing in his school's mash-up that includes Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing and The Killers' Mr Brightside.
"It's so exhilarating to be on stage," he said.
Flautist Hazel Keeble from Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie was "pumped" to perform for her second year.
"We get a bunch of talented, strong individuals who come together and show off their talent," she said.
Her school is staging Australian singer G-Flip's version of Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer and Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4.
"I like that I can play more than just classical music, and I love how energetic I can be with the flute," she said.
Students will take to the Newcastle stage from 6.30pm on Thursday, June 5.
Musicians played a funky jazz riff as lights spotlighted budding stars belting out Michael Buble's rendition of Feeling Good on the Newcastle Civic Theatre stage.
This is only the beginning of the Catholic schools' annual DioSounds performance.
Ahead of the June 5 evening show, the Newcastle Herald caught a sneak peek inside the 130-minute musical performance from 13 Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese secondary schools.
In its 18th year, DioSounds features more than 450 high school students in small ensembles, choirs and concert bands performing under the theme One Call. One Mission.
Phoebe Porter, a year 12 student at All Saints' College Maitland, was sad to be taking to the stage for her last year.
"It's been such a journey, from my first DioSounds you see not only yourself grow but others grow as well," she said.
"I get to see all the year sevens and how they enjoy it as much as I did in my first year."
Ms Porter will be singing in her school's mash-up of Silverchair's The Greatest View, Harry Styles' Music for a Sushi Restaurant and Sister Sledge's We Are Family.
"It starts slow and then it builds up, and it's just so much fun, it's a fun one to groove out to with everyone," she said.
Ms Porter and her fellow performers Charley Hill and Emma Whiting said it was a great chance to meet musically inclined students from other schools.
"It's so good to be with a group of like-minded people who have the same interests as you," Ms Porter said.
St Joseph's Catholic College, Aberdeen's Jimmy Dever has been a performer ever since he can remember.
"I've been singing since birth," he said.
"It's always something that's been so special to me and it's so surreal when you're in the moment."
Mr Dever will be singing in his school's mash-up that includes Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing and The Killers' Mr Brightside.
"It's so exhilarating to be on stage," he said.
Flautist Hazel Keeble from Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie was "pumped" to perform for her second year.
"We get a bunch of talented, strong individuals who come together and show off their talent," she said.
Her school is staging Australian singer G-Flip's version of Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer and Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4.
"I like that I can play more than just classical music, and I love how energetic I can be with the flute," she said.
Students will take to the Newcastle stage from 6.30pm on Thursday, June 5.
Musicians played a funky jazz riff as lights spotlighted budding stars belting out Michael Buble's rendition of Feeling Good on the Newcastle Civic Theatre stage.
This is only the beginning of the Catholic schools' annual DioSounds performance.
Ahead of the June 5 evening show, the Newcastle Herald caught a sneak peek inside the 130-minute musical performance from 13 Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese secondary schools.
In its 18th year, DioSounds features more than 450 high school students in small ensembles, choirs and concert bands performing under the theme One Call. One Mission.
Phoebe Porter, a year 12 student at All Saints' College Maitland, was sad to be taking to the stage for her last year.
"It's been such a journey, from my first DioSounds you see not only yourself grow but others grow as well," she said.
"I get to see all the year sevens and how they enjoy it as much as I did in my first year."
Ms Porter will be singing in her school's mash-up of Silverchair's The Greatest View, Harry Styles' Music for a Sushi Restaurant and Sister Sledge's We Are Family.
"It starts slow and then it builds up, and it's just so much fun, it's a fun one to groove out to with everyone," she said.
Ms Porter and her fellow performers Charley Hill and Emma Whiting said it was a great chance to meet musically inclined students from other schools.
"It's so good to be with a group of like-minded people who have the same interests as you," Ms Porter said.
St Joseph's Catholic College, Aberdeen's Jimmy Dever has been a performer ever since he can remember.
"I've been singing since birth," he said.
"It's always something that's been so special to me and it's so surreal when you're in the moment."
Mr Dever will be singing in his school's mash-up that includes Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing and The Killers' Mr Brightside.
"It's so exhilarating to be on stage," he said.
Flautist Hazel Keeble from Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie was "pumped" to perform for her second year.
"We get a bunch of talented, strong individuals who come together and show off their talent," she said.
Her school is staging Australian singer G-Flip's version of Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer and Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4.
"I like that I can play more than just classical music, and I love how energetic I can be with the flute," she said.
Students will take to the Newcastle stage from 6.30pm on Thursday, June 5.

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Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. 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Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. 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The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people." Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people."

Iconic Australian migrant story returns to the stage
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Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people."

Iconic Australian migrant story returns to the stage
Iconic Australian migrant story returns to the stage

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Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people."

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