Behind the scenes at Creative Generation 2024
With 2000 kids, 168 schools and four performances across three days, this is the inside story of how Creative Generation comes together.
QLD News
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Producing Creative Generation – State Schools Onstage every year is certainly not a walk in the park, but it is always done with expert skill and a huge amount of love and passion for the production.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, CGEN has come a long way since its QPAC inception in 2005. The theme is “Absolutely Everybody”, which couldn’t ring more true – CGEN is a celebration of everybody across two decades.
With 2000 kids, 168 schools and four performances across three days, you may be wondering how exactly you pull off such a mammoth task.
The Courier-Mail takes you backstage to give you a taste of how it’s done.
WARMING UP
It’s a flurry of excitement down at Mansfield State High School on Saturday morning.
After six months of rehearsals, show week has officially kicked off for these students and they couldn’t be more eager to show off their hard work and dedication.
The choir began stretching and performing vocal warm-ups, and the orchestra prepped and tuned their instruments. Their cases and bags were strewn around the corners of the room.
This is the first time the choir, featured vocalists and orchestra have joined in rehearsal, their first sitzprobe ahead of show week.
The Courier-Mail had the opportunity to watch the rehearsal unfold, and, apart from some technical issues, timing fixes, and microphone mishaps, the day went unbelievably smoothly.
These students are true professionals, able to recognise when they need to add a staccato to a crotchet or slow down on the 43rd bar of a medley.
From 9am through to 4pm, each song was scrutinised and rehearsed until they were played to perfection.
But the students didn’t mind, because for them this was the first time the orchestra were working together with singers. It was one step closer to delivering the final performance for their family and friends.
BACKSTAGE
While students were prepping for show week at their respective weekend rehearsals, 12 semi-trailers arrived at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre loaded with 20 tonnes of equipment needed to deliver the brilliance that is Creative Generation.
By Monday the literal truckload of equipment was turned into a world class sound and lighting system, and a state-of-the-art stage ready for four performances.
Two exhibition halls were completely transformed into a massive backstage area for the students, divided into their separate feature groups.
Groups of kids had set up camp with rugs, pillows strewn on the floor and of course, plenty of snacks to tide them through the two days of rehearsals.
The mood of the students throughout those two days was excitement laced with nerves – six months of work was about to be put on display.
At the entrance to the backstage alcoves was a huge area scattered with boxes and clothing racks of costumes.
Stationed at the front of the explosion of fabric, were the tailors and seamstresses at the ready with their sewing machines. Makeup and hair artists - parents and teachers - were on hand for Wednesday’s dress rehearsal and performance night.
With the noise level at a constant high and kids running around haphazardly through the halls, one would start to wonder how on earth everything is done in time for opening night? And that is where the army of Creative Generation staff come in to keep show week running. Talk about a method to the madness.
FINAL REHEARSALS
In the BCEC’s great hall is where all the magic happens.
On Tuesday, with the help of dozens of staff, students are expertly ushered through the tunnels to begin their first on-site rehearsals.
With the directors, Liz Williamson, Dan Venz (dance), Andrew Bee (music), Emily Gilhome (drama) and Nicola Taylor guiding the students, show week transformed into a well-oiled machine.
Featured dance troupes and singers reign the front of the stage, while the 68-piece orchestra brought each song to life on a huge blue-lit platform. The audience will be able to see the entire cast as they demonstrate their six months of hard work.
Technicians test the lighting and sound timings, and even fix the smoke machines. Yes, smoke machines, CGEN is no joke.
Wednesday is the final run through before opening night, or what Ms Williamson described as “her day” to bring the two-act performance to perfection.
But after seeing the rehearsals come to life over those two days, it looked pretty perfect from the moment the first practice kicked off.
It is a full run-through with costumes, which means kids as young as four are fluttering through the backstage area to the quick costume change tent before efficiently getting miked up, and in position for their next performance. These students could rival even the best performers.
As the students begin to do their routines with faces of makeup and glittering costumes, the nerves begin to run right through the entire South Bank building.
Showtime is here.
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