Burdekin Junior Eisteddfod 2008
The 25th Anniversary Junior Eisteddfod
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The 25th Anniversary Junior Eisteddfod |
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A Letter from one of two Major Bursary Winners from the 2007 Eisteddfod. Dear Eisteddfod Committee, I would like to say thank you for awarding me with the Bursary from the Eisteddfod of 2007. Attending McGregor Summer School to complete a ten day course on Music Theatre has been the greatest experience for me. It truly was the best thing I have ever done. I cannot not express to you enough how much it meant to me and how grateful I am of you for giving me this opportunity. So, I would like to share with you the details from my trip to McGregor. On Tuesday January 9, was when it all began. After over nearly 12 hours of driving with my parents to Toowoomba, I was finally there at the school, which I would be living at for the next two weeks. I can remember feeling both sick in the stomach from nerves and excitement as I entered the College grounds. On the first afternoon there, I spent it meeting my new room mates, friends and colleagues and that night we played ice breaker games with the house parents (the guardians of college). The course of the school went as followed. We received a wake up call at 6:30 am i.e. a disturbing knock and yell from our house parents telling us to get out of bed. Breakfast was served in the dining room from 7am – 8am, with most classes beginning at 8:30am; however, ours didn’t begin until 9am. Lunch was bought at the Refectory at the University usually going for an hour with classes then finishing at 4:30pm. We had dinner served from 6pm – 7pm, and then our curfew for the night was at 10:30pm. On the first day of class, we met our tutors John Peek and Rita Miles and our fellow classmates. John had us play games with each other in the morning; to break the ice and get to know a bit more about each other, then in the afternoon we each performed an audition piece for John, so he could see what our voices were like. That night, he created a musical and from the second day onwards we spent our mornings practicing our solos and the afternoons doing our group pieces and theatre work. Spending our hours happily singing, acting, dancing and doing theatre work throughout the day. The musical was entitled; ‘The Call Back’. It was about a group of all different people attending an audition for a musical for various reasons. Each person had their own story to tell and role to play. I was cast as Kate, a single, young girl who had just found out she was pregnant. The musical was very humorous, entertaining and very moving. It had a very strong message that we should live life ‘For Now’ and take each day step by step. We all worked extremely hard, which paid off in the end. The classes were a lot of fun; the environment was very joyful and energetic. Everyone got on really well with each other, and to me, it was like having a new family. We performed our musical on the last Thursday night of the course. The next night, I got to sing with the choir when the orchestra performed at the Empire Theatre. This was a great feeling and experience as the theatre was beautiful. On our last day, the University was open all day for everyone to come and view various concerts put on by the students of McGregor. Once again, we performed with the Choir singing three songs. The whole experience of completing the Music Theatre course and performing was amazing. I learnt many new skills and got to meet new and extremely talented people. Everyday was exciting and rather adventurous. This is because I made a great group of people down there, who I am proud to say are my best friends. I still keep in touch with them now, and plan to see them in the Winter Holidays. Meeting these amazing people, gave me the chance to have many laughs, crazy experiences and share my love and passions. I had the best time going to class, and then being able to just relax and hang out with my new mates. We got to go late night shopping on Thursday, had our own Masquerade Ball, swapped clothes and genders for Drag and Dag day, attended the 40th Year Anniversary Dinner and performed on stage with each other. Once again, I would like to say thank you. Without you giving me this opportunity, I wouldn’t have made the new friends I have or learnt the new skills to help me improve with my work. Since attending this school, I have a more clear direction with the singing and acting career and the goals I would like to achieve in the near future. It was a very enjoyable experience for me, and I will cherish the memories forever. Yours Faithfully, Jasmin Delle Baite
My Musical Theatre Class |
