Dreams come true at academy showcase

THE Academy of Creative Arts at Bendigo’s South East College has been running a specialist arts program for the past eight years to enhance students’ knowledge by learning from professionals.

The program, which includes band, dance, drama, visual arts and vocals brings together industry professionals from all over Victoria to coach, run workshops, and direct works to assist students in developing their creativity and their skills in their chosen field.

Along with these masterclasses, students have extra opportunities to go on many excursions and camps.

In the last few years these have included travelling to workshops on New York’s Broadway, Hollywood in Los Angeles, a trip to the International Musical Theatre Festival Tasmania, visits to museums, going to see live shows and much more.

Each year following the masterclasses, ACA holds a Performing Arts Showcase, of dance, drama and song accompanied by a visual arts exhibition.

Dancers perform choreography designed by locally and international acclaimed dancers, drama students work up self-devised scenes and classic comedy sketches, singers and musicians write and perform their own original songs as well as singing arrangements of songs with up to five-part harmonies, and visual artists exhibit mixed media works from painting and draw to digital art and sculpture.

This year, the end-of-year Performing Arts Showcase is titled Dreams will be held on Thursday, 1 December at 6pm.

Meanwhile, the Visual Arts exhibition is at Dudley House between the 2 and 9 December with the opening set for Sunday, 4 December at 2pm.

Tickets for the Showcase are on sale via bit.ly/3gnNz2k.

– BY FIONA WATSON