By Geoff Ellis
AS THE curtains opened in the Wonthaggi Union Theatre, the performers burst from darkness into light as the beat of I Will Survive had the audience dancing in their seats.
AS THE curtains opened in the Wonthaggi Union Theatre, the performers burst from darkness into light as the beat of I Will Survive had the audience dancing in their seats.
This was the seventh annual show of the group from disability support provider Connecting2Australia. Many of the performers have been returning to this stage every year since the inaugural performance in 2013. Their experience and enthusiasm created a celebration of music and dance that delighted the large crowd. This was the culmination of 12 months of rehearsals.
Work on this year's show started when the group selected 'Australian Musicals and Stage Performances' as the headline.
The group then researched all the Aussie musicals and eventually settled on Priscilla and Strictly Ballroom as two shows that reflected their ambitions. They spent a couple of meetings working through a list of all the songs from those shows and discussed how each song related to them.
Votes were then taken to decide which numbers would be performed. The group committed to help the people who put up their hands for each of the different numbers so that everyone could use their talents and abilities. Finally, a touch of ABBA and a couple of disco numbers were added to provide a bit of mirror ball glitter.
As the performance night approached, the group rehearsed four days a week and costumes were finalised. Finally everything, including the access ramp to the stage, was in place and at 7pm on a recent Saturday night a hush fell over the packed theatre.
Images from the night tell the story of fun and entertainment. As the night drew to a close the performers were able to speak for themselves about how much the night meant to them. They continued the conversation into the rehearsals for the group's next performance, the Wonthaggi Carols By Candlelight.
Among the smiles and laughs Dale Adams spoke about how great it was to be up on stage waving that saxophone around. Last year he played didgeridoo in the performance of a Yothu Yindi song.
Some of Brent Barret’s family had travelled from interstate to see him excel under those spotlights and he was proud to see them in the audience.
Luke Geri was another superstar on the night. He really enjoyed cheering people up and making them laugh.
Mike Gamaldi spoke for the entire group when he mentioned how great it was that they were recognised for their abilities and were out there in the community.
Getting up on stage to sing to her family in the audience makes Lee Witton really happy and Josephine Brunsden's love of ABBA shone across the crowded stage.
The group is aiming to buy new instruments with the money they raised with this performance and are looking to add to the budget through further fundraising.
Connecting2Australia is a local disability support provider that connects clients of all abilities through social and business opportunities.
Work on this year's show started when the group selected 'Australian Musicals and Stage Performances' as the headline.
The group then researched all the Aussie musicals and eventually settled on Priscilla and Strictly Ballroom as two shows that reflected their ambitions. They spent a couple of meetings working through a list of all the songs from those shows and discussed how each song related to them.
Votes were then taken to decide which numbers would be performed. The group committed to help the people who put up their hands for each of the different numbers so that everyone could use their talents and abilities. Finally, a touch of ABBA and a couple of disco numbers were added to provide a bit of mirror ball glitter.
As the performance night approached, the group rehearsed four days a week and costumes were finalised. Finally everything, including the access ramp to the stage, was in place and at 7pm on a recent Saturday night a hush fell over the packed theatre.
Images from the night tell the story of fun and entertainment. As the night drew to a close the performers were able to speak for themselves about how much the night meant to them. They continued the conversation into the rehearsals for the group's next performance, the Wonthaggi Carols By Candlelight.
Among the smiles and laughs Dale Adams spoke about how great it was to be up on stage waving that saxophone around. Last year he played didgeridoo in the performance of a Yothu Yindi song.
Some of Brent Barret’s family had travelled from interstate to see him excel under those spotlights and he was proud to see them in the audience.
Luke Geri was another superstar on the night. He really enjoyed cheering people up and making them laugh.
Mike Gamaldi spoke for the entire group when he mentioned how great it was that they were recognised for their abilities and were out there in the community.
Getting up on stage to sing to her family in the audience makes Lee Witton really happy and Josephine Brunsden's love of ABBA shone across the crowded stage.
The group is aiming to buy new instruments with the money they raised with this performance and are looking to add to the budget through further fundraising.
Connecting2Australia is a local disability support provider that connects clients of all abilities through social and business opportunities.