Another opening, another show at Newhaven College

IT’S not just a catchphrase, Newhaven College on Phillip Island takes its vision “to support the pursuit of personal excellence” very seriously.

And from the first day of Term Three onwards, it will be raising the bar of one of its key learning areas to a whole new level when students surge through the doors of the college’s new $8 million Performing Arts Wing for the first time.

They will be entering a new era of music, dance, and drama education at the school which will extend well beyond the traditional instrumental music lessons, singing, dancing and acting in the highly-appointed Concert Rehearsal Hall and 120-seat Black Box Theatre that are among the features of the new facility.

They’ll also have access to a professional-standard recording studio, class music rooms, private instrumental rooms and all the facilities needed to rehearse and stage productions, including sound and lighting technology, as well as facilitate music creation and collaboration online, to name just some of the possibilities.

Not only will the state-of-the-art new facility enhance the skills and experience necessary for a lifetime appreciation of the performing arts but also provide a pathway to tertiary studies and work in Australia’s $14.7 billion creative arts sector that’s second-to-none at any secondary college in Australia.

Principal of Newhaven College, Tony Corr, said last week, while inspecting the soon-to-be-completed work, that there was a sharp focus on education in Stage 1 of the performing arts facility.

“Stage 2, which is yet to be funded, will include the addition of a 450-seat auditorium but with its classrooms, private practice rooms, computer lab and performance spaces, it’s entirely appropriate that there’s a strong focus on education with Stage 1,” Mr Corr said.

“We already have a strong music, dance and drama program but certainly, we would expect that to develop. At present we are working out of different spaces and the opportunity to bring them all together under one roof will present significant advantages.”

Mr Corr said the new Concert Rehearsal Hall and Black Box Theatre were impressive additions to the school’s facilities, both of them designed and highly engineered for the purpose.

He said the concert hall was a state-of-the-art, acoustically-advanced instrumental music hall, complete with its own recording studio, while the boutique theatre came with 120-electronically stackable seats, and all the lighting, sound and projection facilities of a professional theatre.

“We’re absolutely delighted with the design by Hayball Architects and the attention to detail of the principal builder TS Constructions, their tradesmen and the other specialists,” he said.

The college held a staff meeting and walk-through at the new facility on the last day of term last week and it was hard not to be impressed.

While the facility can operate as a standalone education centre, it is already well on the way to becoming a performing arts centre for both the school and the local community as well.

A large foyer, complete with box office, and dressing rooms are already in place so that when Stage 2 is funded, including a large theatre space, the performing arts centre will be complete.

“We will definitely be making it available to the community as well as other schools,” Mr Corr said.

Along with new the theatre, the college is also looking at developing an Early Learning Centre, in line with government policy, providing a Year 3 and 4 kinder as a lead up to Preps in the years ahead.

Plans for a swimming pool at some time in the future are also in the school’s master plan.