College presents Addams Family fun

STUDENTS and staff at Bellarine Secondary College went creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky with their production this year.

The school embraced the “show must go on” ethos last year during the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic, and was one of the very few in Victoria to stage a full-scale musical.

VCE and Year 9 performing arts teacher Melissa Di Niro said 2020 was a “rollercoaster of a year”, with most of it spent rehearsing online with no clear hope in sight of putting on a show, but the college managed to run their production of Grease in the final week of the school year.

This year has been similarly tough, with snap lockdowns, a return to rehearsing online and rescheduled dates, but spirits were still high for Bellarine Secondary College students and staff at the weekend as they performed Origin Theatrical’s The Addams Family School Edition at The Potato Shed in Drysdale.

The comical feast encapsulated the wackiness in every family with an original story that is every father’s nightmare.

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family – a man her parents have never met.

And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother.

“Students and staff have banded together to pivot and think creatively to overcome obstacles and have a safe and inclusive space for the musical to still go ahead this year,” Ms Di Niro said.

“The talented students, who have a list of accolades among them, are excited to have the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience.”