Want to make the holidays more fun? Want to do a play this summer? Want to learn new theatre, music and performance skills?

Initial Stages will be presenting its very first holiday workshop: put on a show in a week!

That's right! We will be rehearsing and presenting a musical show in five fabulous fun filled days. You will have to enrol to find out about the show: it's a secret!

Up to 30 students will work with Initial Stages Principal and Musical Director Helen Janke as well as Initial Stages co-founder and VCA Graduate Matt Scholten as Director for a week in January to produce a one hour show that will be begun on Monday January 21st performed on Friday January 25th at the Shepparton Senior Citizens Hall. This will be Matt's first show in Shepparton in 3 years and he is really looking forward to coming back to his "home away from home" and working with Shepparton youth again!

Students will learn lines, sing songs and develop dance routines all culminating in one exciting performance for friends and family at the end of the week. The friendships and confidence that develops over five exciting days will last long after the show!

The perfect end to the summer holidays...something to look forward to and remember all year! We hope to offer workshops in the holidays as an ongoing event from 2008...

Workshop Fee: $180.00 per child.

Workshops run from 10:00am until 4:00pm Monday to Friday at the Senior Citizens Hall.

Please pack a lunch, drink and snacks for your child as well as a bottle of water. Please ensure that students wear comfortable clothes and appropriate footwear (no thongs, "crocs", sandals or bare feet allowed: sports runners or dance shoes are the best).

To be a part of this exciting holiday opportunity, please phone Initial Stages on 0417 707 842.

The cast, comprising of John himself, Aaron-David Palmer and Jacquie Pithie, under the direction of Fiona Kennan undertook a rather short rehearsal period to bring the show to a standard where it was performed with no scripts in hands. Rather than a rehearsed reading, it became a mini show, complete with tears from the audience in the final scenes.

People who missed the performance of Prodigal Memories and would like to see it restaged, can let us know they'd like to see it by clicking here and emailing us.

Jason, whose name at the moment is everywhere in amateur theatre in the metropolitan region won a Victorian Music Theatre Guild Award for Best Lighting for his work on Catchment Players of Darebin's production of The Wizard of Oz, directed by Paul David Watson.

The very next day Jason scored the Gold Award for Best Lighting in a Drama for his work on Heidelberg Theatre Company's The Grapes of Wrath.

For fans of Jason's lighting, you can catch his efforts in 2008 shows such as Windmill Theatre Company's Cats, Fab Nob's Disco Inferno and CLOC's Hot Shoe Shuffle.

Well done, Jason.

While we were not successful in coming home with a coveted 'glass brick', some ex-STAGers shone on the night, leaving their mark on the awards ceremony.

Congratulations to Pam Christie-Birkett who won an award for her performance as Mrs Lyons in CLOC's Blood Brothers. If the reviews were anything to go by, Pam's award was very well deserved.

Another ex-STAGer, David Harford must be sittting on cloud nine right about now as he walked away with awards for Best Director, Choregography, Design Element and his company, Ballarat Lyric Theatre also won the award for Production of the Year. Well done, David!