Year 12 student Melanie Verghagen has had a very busy few months on the performing arts scene both at the College and in other productions. Most notably, she was part of the third annual Time to Shine concert at the State Theatre on 28 July (pictured above, in centre) and recently was one of the leads in the College Musical Back to the ‘80s.
Time to Shine (July)
Time to Shine featured over 450 students from 50 schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne, and it has become a key celebration for Catholic secondary schools in Melbourne to display the performance talents of students. This year’s Time to Shine included 75 individual singers, a choir of 160 students and over 200 dancers.
“When the show was advertised in the school’s daily bulletin last year, I auditioned, and I was very lucky to be given a solo singing role in a trio performance of Rhythm of the Night,” Melanie said. “The whole experience was one I will never forget, as I was able to work with and learn from many industry professionals. I also had the pleasure of meeting many other talented performers who I plan on keeping in touch with for a very long time.
Be More Chill (June)
“It was during my time here at the College that I fell in love with performing and this led to my decision to pursue some other amazing opportunities for performing outside of school this year,” Melanie said. “Earlier this year I was very excited to secure a role in Lightbox Productions’ Victorian premiere production of the off-Broadway musical Be More Chill.
“I played the role of Jenna Rolan in the show that performed a sold-out season in June this year. It was a huge success for Lightbox Productions, which is a company founded and run by three old Collegians of MLMC.”
Melanie’s brother Peter (class of 2016) founded the production company and this year’s show was directed by him along with fellow Old Collegians Jared Smith (class of 2014) and Darcy Myring (class of 2016). Melanie was also joined in the cast by MLMC Year 12 students Georgia McAleer and Maddy Leane. Georgia and Maddy both also appeared in the MLMC production of Pink Panther Strikes Again in May.
Back to the '80s (August)
Melanie again joined Georgia and Maddy on stage when the three girls performed in Back to the ‘80s, the College Musical, earlier this month, with Melanie in the role of Tiffany Houston. “This show was an absolute blast to be a part of, as it was a dream come true to perform as a lead role in my last show on the Centennial Hall stage,” Melanie said. “I would encourage anyone with an interest in Performing Arts to get involved in the wonderful Performing Arts community at the College.”
