The NSW Schools Spectacular is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

featuring more than 5,500 students from public schools across

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and was performed annually at the

Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Entertainment Centre (later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena) was a multi-purpose arena located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished in 1970 to make way for the E ...

(later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena) between 1984 and 2015, after which the venue was permanently closed. In 2016, it moved to

Sydney Olympic Park Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta Council. It is commonly known as Olympic Park but officially na ...

, and found its new home at Qudos Bank Arena. The Schools Spectacular was broadcast by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

from 1984 until 2012, then by the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

from 2013 until 2015. The

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

has been broadcasting the Schools Spectacular since 2016. Fifteen television cameras are placed in various vantage points throughout the arena. All four performances are recorded, and the best versions of each show segment are edited together and then aired in the television broadcast two weeks after the live event. The actual

performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

is made up of many different pieces. A typical piece would have a

spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, entertainment, an ...

ed soloist singing on an elevated platform in the

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

, surrounded by many

dancers Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

s. On the

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

, the

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

would be playing the

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

part of the song while the

choirs A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

behind and next to the orchestra would be singing the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

of the song. There are some 400 audio inputs for microphones and musical instruments, and an amazing array of around 600 lights used throughout the show. The first Schools Spectacular was Schools Spectacular 1983 and was intended to be a sound test for the

. Since then, the Schools Spectacular has evolved significantly. The 2012 event included 3,600 students and 600 teachers from 400 schools in four performances viewed by 30,000 people. Schools Spectacular 2016 broke the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for "Largest Amateur Variety Act", with 5,500 performers. As well as being broadcast each year on national television, the Schools Spectacular is webcast through the Internet onto their website, with the help and sponsorship by

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develo ...

. The Schools Spectacular is produced by 'The Arts Unit' of the

New South Wales Department of Education The New South Wales Department of Education, a department of the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for the delivery and co-ordination of early childhood, primary school, secondary school, vocational education, adult, migrant and hig ...

Themes By Year

Each year the Schools Spectacular follows a theme: *1993 – One Spirit *1994 – International *1995 – Hats Off To Australia *1996 – Get Set 2000 *1997 – The Edge *1998 – Reaching the World *1999 – To Be Australian *2000 – The Entertainers *2001 – Celebrate! *2002 – By Invitation *2003 – 20 Years on *2004 – 21st Birthday *2005 – The Face of Australia *2006 – Shine *2007 – My Spec *2008 – The Spectacular Spirit *2009 – Reaching Out *2010 – Colour My World *2011 – Imagine *2012 – Our Time *2013 – 30 Spectacular Years *2014 – This Is Australia *2015 – This is Our World *2016 – Dream Big *2017 – Own The Moment *2018 – The Greatest *2019 – Stars *2020 – Remixed (Broadcast Special) *2021 – Spectacular Schools Inspired (Broadcast Special) *2022 – Creating The Magic *2023 – Fabulous!

Notable alumni

Human Nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

(band, Australian recording artists) * Nathan Foley (children's TV group Hi-5) *

John Foreman John Foreman may refer to: * John Foreman (musician) (born 1972), Australian musician * John Foreman (producer) (1925–1992), American film producer * John Foreman (footballer) (1913–1964), English footballer See also * Jon Foreman (born 1976), ...

(musician,

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program ''Pop Idol' ...

musical director, Schools Spectacular host) * Shannon Brown (

The Ten Tenors The TEN Tenors (also known as TTT) are an Australian music ensemble that has toured worldwide, been seen by more than 90 million people and attracted a vast international fan-base by performing a unique combination of classical and contemporary m ...

) * Paulini (

finalist, Australian recording artist,

Young Divas Young Divas was an Australian pop girl group formed in 2006 by Sony BMG Australia, initially for a one-off single and national tour to promote all members as solo artists. The original line-up consisted of former ''Australian Idol'' contestants ...

) * Sabrina Batshon (

finalist) * Roshani Pridis (

Finalist) *

Anja Nissen Anja Nissen (born 6 November 1995), sometimes known as simply Anja, is a Danish and Australian singer. She was the winner of the third series of ''The Voice Australia''. Following her win, Nissen was signed to Universal Music Group and lists h ...

(The Voice 2014 Winner) *

Trevor Ashley Trevor Ashley (born 27 February 1980) is an Australian musical theatre actor, cabaret and drag artist based in Sydney. He also has appeared on television in "The Very Trevor Ashley Show" Early life Ashley grew up in the south of Sydney and stud ...

(Musical Theatre performer)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official Website
Australian music Education in New South Wales Student events Recurring events established in 1993