St Peter’s College is bringing the iconic streets of New York to life with their production of West Side Story at City of Casey Schools on Stage 2025.
Over 100 students have engaged in the production of the musical, bringing their professionalism and passion that belie their age.
Talking to the students in the production of the show, the first thing you notice will be their unparalleled energy, dedication, and camaraderie.
“You spend a lot of time with each other. You become like a family,” James, who plays Riff, said, reflecting on what was most memorable out of the whole experience.
For the cast, the journey has been transformative.
From auditions to rehearsals spanning months, students say they have grown tremendously. The musical challenged students to explore complex characters, intense emotions, and intricate choreography like never before.
“This one really challenged our acting and made us not only grow as performers, but also able to experience that professionalism,” Vichit, who plays Chino, said.
His role reflects one of the show’s most striking themes: how love and hatred collide with devastating consequences.
“I basically found out that Maria has been cheating on me. So, she’s been brought to America to marry Chino. It is like a transformation from a shy, timid character to someone fuelled with anger and hatred now,” Vichit said.
“Hatred is a really key thing in the show, which just causes all of this (tragedy).”
For student Hanna, stepping into the role of Maria was both daunting and rewarding.
“I definitely found it a bit challenging, especially in the singing part. She sings very high and sings to people,” Hanna said.
“Last year, I played Danielle from Bring It On. But Maria is such a contrasting character because she’s naïve, she’s young, and she’s obviously going to make mistakes.
“But I absolutely enjoyed it, and I would play her again.”
Hanna tried hard to connect with Maria by finding common ground between herself and the character.
“Well, we’re actually both young. We both make mistakes,” she said.
Choosing West Side Story was a “leap of faith” for St Peter’s College, Nicole Lewis, the school’s performing arts coach, said.
“Because there was a more recent film as well. Students were more familiar with it. I think if that film hadn’t come out, then I don’t know if we would have chosen it.”
Nicole was referring to Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation, starring Ansel Elgort as Tony and Rachel Zegler as Maria.
For readers who never watched the musical before, cast member Matthews explained that at the heart of the story are these two “star-crossed lovers”.
“They are burdened by their allegiances to their respective gangs,” he said.
“The Jets, who are like the stereotypical Americans — they call themselves that. The Sharks are Puerto Rican immigrants. It bases the whole story around this feud between the gangs, and how Tony from the Jets and Maria from the Sharks end up falling in love despite this feud that goes on around them.”
“It’s depressing and it’s dramatic, but there is hope and there are important themes and messages in the show as well,” Nicole said.
This central conflict, love tested by prejudice, loyalty, and violence, is what makes West Side Story as relevant today as when it premiered in 1957.
Issues of cultural identity, immigration, and intolerance still echo strongly in contemporary society, giving the students’ performances a modern edge, James said.
For students, the rehearsal process leaves the strongest memories.
“All the memories come from rehearsal first, because that’s when we see each other the most,” Antonia, who plays Anita, said.
“When we go through a scene and just act it out on stage, most of the cast would be sitting down watching. So just having their raw reactions while we’re trying to practice is really motivating.
“It really captures the true emotion that’s happening in the scenes.
“I think the whole performance shows that we did was probably the most memorable stuff because when things were actually happening and the adrenaline just kept you going and going. You just do everything.”
West Side Story: Schools Edition will be performed at Bunjil Place as part of the Schools on Stage 2025 on the night of Thursday 4 September.
For more information, visit: bunjilplace.com.au/events/schools-on-stage-0
