HomeLifestyleArtsKepnock High 2020 Arts Night set to 'change'

Kepnock High 2020 Arts Night set to ‘change’

Kepnock High Arts Night
Kepnock State High School students Isabella Feltl and Mikaela Curtis with their original drama performance from 2019 Arts Night.

Kepnock State High School students will celebrate their 2020 Arts Night online with a theme of “Change” due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The school’s auditorium is normally full for the sell-out popular art event, but this year the community will be entertained from the comfort of their homes as performers get creative and make videos of their exhibitions and live performances.

Kepnock State High School arts department head Jess O’Neill said auditions had started this term and the students were busy thinking of how they would interpret the theme.

“We made the decision last term to go online instead of live this year due to COVID-19 restrictions with crowds,” she said.

“Going online is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talents of our students to a wider audience and we will be creating a digital copy of all of the performances and artworks for parents, carers and students to purchase.

“There have been a lot of great ideas on how to present Arts Night to an online audience and our students are coming up with some really creative ideas for their video submissions.

“We are in the initial stages of planning how the online platform will work and gathering ideas for the overall look of it.

“We won’t be performing live to an audience which is disappointing for our students as this is one of their favourite events of the year.”

Arts Night 2020 a theme of Change

“Students have to interpret what change means to them, and then choreograph a dance or find a performance that suits this theme,” Jess said.

“Some choose lyrics that explore the theme, whilst others show the theme through their movement, filming, acting, costumes or voice.

Jess said the Arts Night had been running for more than 20 years and each year was a major fundraiser for the school, but this year as no admission fee would be charged the student had been busy brainstorming.

“We won’t have the opportunity for our buskers, markets and food stalls this year which is a real shame,” she said.

“We are working on ideas for a lunchtime market, so all of our students get a taste of Arts Night and have the opportunity to watch some of students perform.

“We are still working on how to sell our artworks, this could be online, or we could work with BRAG and their EMERGE markets.”

Jess said both the students and the teachers had to adapt to the changes to this year’s event and she said the theme was perfectly suited.

“I think the teachers are coping okay as we have had to learn to adapt to change this year, and it is quite ironic that this is the theme for 2020 Arts Night,” she said.

“Some of us are particularly excited about filming performances in different locations and editing it all together.

“I honestly can’t wait to see the auditions, because I think we are going to see a lot of hidden talent this year and become more aware of our students’ resilience and ability to think outside of the box.

“I know there are a lot of Year 12 students who feel like 2020 and COVID-19 has taken away so much from their final year of schooling, so I really do empathise with them but we are doing our best to make their final Arts Night one to remember.”

To find out more about Arts Night 2020 follow Kepnock State High School’s Facebook page.

  • Last year's story: Kepnock High Arts Night shows talent

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