The stars shone brightly in Wollongong last Friday and Saturday. 

The occasion? The annual Southern Stars Arena Spectacular, now in its 25th year, held at WIN Stadium .

The stars? Over 3000 public school children from across NSW, from kindy to year 12 showcasing their performance talent for an estimated audience of 12000. With a commitment to inclusivity, Southern Stars encourages students of all abilities to take part, and how talented they were!

Months of planning, costume design and manufacture, choreography, learning of songs and dance routines, and rehearsal culminated in the breathtaking  dance , drama and music which unfolded for an excited audience.

For nearly three hours we were entertained by young people of all abilities, singers, dancers, musicians, gymnasts, a marching band, a combined choir and a full orchestra, all of whom would not have been out of place on Australia’s Got Talent, or The Voice. The quality of performance throughout the  show was outstanding.

The theme of this year’s production was Take Flight. 

We the audience, guided by our compères dressed as flight attendants, were encouraged to stow our imaginary baggage, lock up our imaginary tray tables, and fasten our imaginary  seatbelts as we took off on a musical flight around the world and into Space. 

Wipeout by the Surfaris  took us to the beach, Cliff  Richards’ Summer  Holiday had us toe tapping, Edith Piaf’s La Vie En Rose took us to France, and Men In Black had us grinning. 

The production was in a rectangular space , audience on three sides, with the orchestra, choir and big screen taking up the fourth. So the set changes and stage production needed to be slick. And they  were, amazingly so. Just consider the difficulties of organising hundreds of children at any one time, let alone on stage and off again in a defined performance space. The task was achieved perfectly, the entire production flowing seamlessly from start to finish. No small feat.

Costuming was of the highest standard, vivid, colourful , memorable. And in some cases, lavish, with sparkles abounding. The ticker tape at the finale flowed from the roof top to the delight of both performers and onlookers, a fitting ending to a superb few hours.

Southern Stars has been happening for many years, giving children an unforgettable opportunity to take part in something creative, and wonderful. Making memories. 

It gets no government funding. Without sponsors, supporters , ticket sales and student participation fees, it could not provide the joy of performance it now does, the prompt for many children to forge ahead into a career in the performing arts, and the excellence of the learning experience, in all facets of performance. So thank you to The Teachers Federation of NSW, GM3 a mining and metal company, Bluescope , Wollongong Uni, WIN Network, i98FM, Illawarra Mercury, and Wollongong City Council.

The one thing that I took away with me after attending the matinee on Saturday was this: our future is looking good, if the calibre of our young people I witnessed today is anything to go by. Their enthusiasm, their drive, their excitement and smiles, their working together and helping each other to gain a high standard, I saw that and I was impressed.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s performance.