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We Will Rock You Brings the Noise!
The first week of Term 2 brought full-blown, high-octane rock and roll to the St Mark’s stage with the 2026 Secondary Production of ‘We Will Rock You’. Over five epic sold-out shows, a cast, crew and band of 80+ students, staff, and Old Scholars brought ferocious energy to the futuristic Queen musical.
Over 100 students threw themselves into auditions in Term 4 last year, and from there, a talented cast was formed, ready to tackle this hugely ambitious show, which would mark St Mark’s 40th Anniversary Production. Kick-off rehearsals were held in the final weeks of 2025, and the energy in the rehearsal room was electric from the get-go, with initial character work, some music history sessions delving into the cultural impact of Queen and a whole cast read-through.
Come Term 1, students dove into rehearsals, with 4 to 10 hours per week, including weekends. Our talented band was auditioned and locked away, rehearsing in parallel to the cast in order to bring the iconic music to life. Weekly rehearsals included intensive song work, choreography, blocking, and character work, and a weekend boot camp saw accent specialist Julia Moody work with our principals to master this new skill.
As the term progressed, the bones of ‘We Will Rock You’ started to form with elements such as set, costumes and technical elements taking shape. With tickets selling out like lightning, the company brought an incredible energy to their final weeks of rehearsals leading into the holiday break. Our principals took to the stage at Whitfords for a pop-up performance, which was well appreciated by local shoppers.
The second week of the holidays saw Tech Week, a five-day intensive where elements such as lighting, sound, costume, hair and makeup brought the show to life. From Bohemian Rebels and Super Yuppies to Ga Ga Kids and Secret Police, the characters came to life before our eyes, and all involved knew we had created something special. The week was made even better with guest appearances and performances from cast members from the Platinum Entertainment production of the show, Holly Denton, Kelsey Cruse, Nicholas Cruse and Maddie Batten, who inspired our cast with their incredible talents and words of wisdom.
With an additional show scheduled due to popular demand, ‘We Will Rock You’ opened its Sunday matinee to an audience of local seniors from surrounding aged care homes, as well as family, friends and community members. The roof was well and truly lifted off with a performance that blew audiences away. What followed were four truly special evening performances, each more energetic than the last. A pedal to the metal rock and roll show came to Hillarys with not only epic performances, music and tech but additions such as fireworks and smoke, adding another level entirely.
Audiences were left screaming for more after a monstrous triple finale featuring We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions and of course, Bohemian Rhapsody. With several audience members labelling it “the best production St Mark’s has ever produced”, we are so proud of the energy and efforts of our incredible Cast, Crew, Band and Staff.
Cast: Charlie, JP, Elise, Phoebe, Toby, Lily, Rhianna, Blake, Olivia, Lexie, Haya, Tyeesha, Kurtis, Lachy, Sam, Hannah, Kale, Neesha, Lara, Mason Allen (OS), Charlotte, Kendall Chin (OS), Taylor, Ayla Colquhoun (OS), Arabella, Claire, Asha Davey (OS), Will, Zoe, Emily, Cameron, Wes, Isaac, Cassie, Alexis, Charlotte, Olivia, Rosie, Saskia, Sienna, Imogen, Ellie, Delani, Everleigh, Hudson, Matthew, Chloe, Alyssa, Milly, Amber Reid (OS), Clementine, Mila, Alexander, Lily, Lauren, Emily and Hugo.
Band: Mr David Goldfinch, Daniel, Taj Jayatilaka (OS), Xavier, Jonathan, Jett and Haley.
Crew/Acknowledgements: Adam, Nico, Jack, Noah, Sophie, Alex, Tommy, Helen, Axel, Sam, Mason, Rosie, Sam, Julia, Steve, Zac, Luke, AJ, Mila, Blake, Saskia, Lexie, Lachy, Tyeesha, Rebecca, Richard, Donna, Therese, Nic, Peter, Darlington Theatre Players, Kelly, Emily Cole, Shel, Deb and Heidi.
Staff: Mr Chris McRae, Miss Leah Guelfi, Ms Catherine Clarnette, Sophie David, Mr Sam Pettit, Mrs Margaret Prouse, Ms Jaina van Reyk, Mrs Emma Leadon, Mrs Suzie Croke, Mrs Katie Fassom, Mrs Amanda Kemp and Mr Rhys Prewitt-Martin.
We are so proud of ‘We Will Rock You’ 2026 and can’t wait to see what 2027 will bring!
Mr Chris McRae
Head of Drama and Production and Director of ‘We Will Rock You’