Iris Cuddy, Eliza Ward & Nina Cuddy
Alongside the Strangerland filming last weekend there was another major production going on in Canowindra that we felt definitely deserves front page coverage.
It was “Snapshots” showcased at Canowindra Public School – a wonderfully colourful and talented two-act musical celebrating the 20th anniversary of the iconic Beanshed Productions.
Students from Canowindra Primary School and St. Eddies Primary School were part of the huge cast of young actors, singers and dancers. They put on a series of scenarios portraying a demanding director’s auditions for a “wow” factor story and talent, and we certainly saw a lot of memorable and amusing performances. This included pirates, witches, Alice in Wonderland, the Ben Hall gang, Hamlet, The Fonze and a great closing song and dance by the Happy Days Chorus.
Co-producer Helen Giger, whose son Caleb gave us a particularly dramatic hissing performance of the goblin Gollum, marked this year’s show down as one of the best ever, with around 600 parents and visitors attending the three “Snapshots” performances.
“Only two parts were taken by high school students – the rest of the entire performance was presented by the pupils, right down to infants,” Helen said.
What made the show even more colourful and exciting was the beautiful high-tech lighting and effects, along with a stunning multi-sound system, provided by Helen’s husband Jon, who’s also a youth worker with the Cornerstone tertiary education community.
In all, “Snapshots” was one of those happy, accomplished, heart-warming exhibitions of young talents that Canowindra and every community needs to keep its culture and creativity alive and continually vibrant.