For students at Pimlico State High School, the annual variety show Pimlico Presents is a perpetual highlight on the calendar. Forced out of the Civic Theatre due to flood damage, this year students will take their show alfresco, performing in the open air at Queens Gardens as part of NAFA under a new moniker: Pimlico in the Park.
Year 12 student Michael Morrison said he and his peers were relieved to hear they’d made it on to NAFA’s program.
“When I heard Pimlico Presents was cancelled, there were many tears,” said Michael.
“From that moment, myself and the student council began working a lot with our Principal Mr Buchholz, brainstorming and critiquing as many alternative options as we could think of for a new variety show.
“An incredible number of people had already put countless hours into rehearsing, perfecting and developing their acts, so Pimlico in the Park gave all of us a saving grace. With this show we had an opportunity to make all of the hard work actually mean something.”
Michael will appear in five acts in Pimlico in the Park.
“I’ll range from having a blast on the keys in our school’s Big Band performance to performing musical theatre with my partner in crime, Alisha,” he said. “It’s really been a blessing to be a part of such a diverse show that allows people like myself to challenge themselves in as many different areas as their mind and inspiration take them.
“As students, we’ve been constantly inspired to never settle – to rehearse, practice and train for something new that pushes what we ever thought we were capable of.”
And that has certainly been the case as students and their production team, lead by Director Claire Davies, have adapted to performing outside the traditional confines of a theatre.
“Instead of working with a night-time show, and a very controlled environment, you’ll find many of the acts feel much more inclusive and connected to the audience,” Michael said.
“With a lot of our usual effects and equipment gone, many of the acts are going to be stripped back to an acoustic setting, which in my opinion gives an entire new dimension to the experience.
“But regardless of the thrill of the spotlight, the roar of the crowd or the nervousness we feel in our own bodies; it’s a chance to work with the people we love that I would rehearse a lifetime for.”
Pimlico in the Park is a free performance on the Queens Garden Main stage on 27 July 2019. For full details, visit www.nafa-tsv.com.au
