McDonald College prepares for Fame as school musicals return after COVID

Students at Sydney’s McDonald College will soon be hitting the boards to revive iconic 1980’s musical Fame, complete with its show-stealing theme.

Irene Cara’s spine-tingling theme song from Fame is enough to get anyone jumping.

It’s certainly working for Sam Austin. Like the other Year 12 musical theatre students at The McDonald College at North Strathfield, he’s pouring megawatts of energy into rehearsals for Fame the musical.

For final-year students like Sam, Jasmine Argyropoulos, Tamsyn Willey, Grace Jones, Justin Sacco and Emily Skipper, Fame will be their graduation show — the big note they go out on, before they audition for further performing arts studies in institutions such as NIDA in Sydney, WAAPA in Perth and VCA in Melbourne.

Year 12 students from McDonald College in Strathfield rehearse for their roles in the musical Fame. (From left) Emily Skipper, Tamsyn Willey, Sam Austin (jumping), Justin Sacco, Jasmine Argyropoulos and Grace Jones. Picture: Toby Zerna

Fame is based on the 1980 film of the same name, about a New York performing arts school and its students who are desperate to sing, dance, act and make music.

“Fame (the musical) is really relatable for us all,” Emily Skipper said.

McDonald’s head of musical theatre Dolores Dunbar is the students’ best promoter.

“They’re joyous kids,” Dunbar said.

“They’re all triple threats. They can sing, dance and act.”

Dunbar cries at every graduation performance.

“I’ve had Justin (Sacco) since he was this high,” she said.

“He was jumping over seats and he’s never stopped jumping.”

Sacco has already performed as a child actor with Opera Australia.

Fame is McDonald’s first musical theatre production in two years, after A Chorus Line was cancelled last year due to COVID-19.

The school’s 2020 Year 12 students were robbed of the chance to appear in the main show of the calendar. The current cohort is grateful they will get to perform.

“We’re going to be really nervous,” Justin Sacco said.

“But once that show starts, it’s going to feel like we’re back home.”

Fame is on at The McDonald College from June 2-5.