Getting involved in performing arts means committing to loads of rehearsal time, but the experience of camaraderie and the hours spent singing and dancing are so much fun it is hard to beat.     

Last week, in the role of parent supervisor, I had the privilege of sitting in on a full day rehearsal for the Horsham College winter musical – Hairspray Jnr. which will be performed in the Horsham Town Hall in August. 

When you get 80 teenagers with a passion for performing together in the same place, there is bound to be a lot of energy in the room. 

Last Wednesday this energy was expended on blocking scenes, learning choreography and repeating lines until they were perfect. 

The concentration levels required were high, and the vitality necessary to survive the dance numbers was almost obscene – well that’s my 46-year-old opinion anyway.  

Like any show though, there are times when some cast members are not required on stage.  I loved the fact that while waiting in the wings, these dynamic performers were quick to hit the books. 

Sitting at the back of the rehearsal auditorium, I found myself looking down on all kinds of maths equations, science experiment write ups and essays. 

Little study groups formed, and cast members stood in for friends who had ducked off to attend vital VCE classes, bringing their cast mates up to speed on dance steps and stage placements when they returned, so their absence wouldn’t cost time. 

Teenagers get such a bad wrap sometimes that it is wonderful to see them in full flight being fantastic friends and fellow workers.  I was so proud of them all. 

Ironically, I had hoped to get some of my own work done while hanging around, so lugged in a big bag of paperwork to be actioned. 

As it was, my only action was to be totally captivated by the performances, laughing aloud at the jokes in the script, while trying to remember not to embarrass my daughter.  Whoops.

- Yolande Grosser