The 2025 Victorian State Schools Spectacular (VSSS) returns for its annual extravaganza for two shows on Saturday 13 September 2025 at 1pm and 6:30pm at John Cain Arena. Celebrating its incredible 30th Anniversary, tickets to this year’s VSSS are on sale now and selling fast at ticketek.com.au/spectacular
For the reason that inaugural VSSS in 1995, Victorian college students have had the chance to participate within the Spectacular the place it has seen expertise akin to Vanessa Amorosi, Opera Australia soprano Nicole Automotive, Tina Turner the Musical lead Ruva Ngwenya, The Voice winner Harrison Craig and award-winning music theatre star Max McKenna all having been part of the VSSS throughout their faculty years.
In 2025, 2500 Victorian college students from 200 authorities colleges have begun a rare 7-month inventive journey, which can culminate within the state’s budding inventive expertise taking to the stage as circus artists, musicians, singers and dancers in addition to additional college students taking up the extremely essential behind-the-scenes roles in stage administration, audio, lighting, imaginative and prescient, costumes, and manufacturing.
This yr’s manufacturing, On Air, takes flight, hovering to new heights of artistry! It celebrates the common ingredient of AIR—each breath, breeze, and whisper that connects life on Earth. Via music, dance, and efficiency, the present explores themes of confronting fears, embracing self-belief, and sharing tales carried on the wind, from lullabies to legends. The spectacle opens with a panoramic tribute to air, that includes Victoria’s premier aerialists dancing excessive above John Cain Enviornment’s stage. The journey continues with the return of the First Nations Ensemble, presenting their new piece Cicadas, led by Na Djinang Circus. VSSS can be thrilled to showcase the award-winning Pese Mai vocalists, performing songs in a number of First Nations languages.
Fastidiously curated by means of options from the scholars, there will likely be over 42 musical gadgets on this yr’s present that includes music from Sheppard, Max Richter, Queen, Gotye, Ibrahim Maalouf, Sergio Medes, Karl Jenkins, Gloria Estefan, Prime-loader, Connor Worth and Six60 amongst many others. The orchestra may also be enjoying specifically commissioned unique music by Kai Chen Lim.
The 2500 college students are made up of Principal Vocalists, Principal Dancers, Backing Vocalists, Victorian State Colleges Choir, a 75-piece orchestra, 1200 mass dance college students and 1100 within the mass choir. Offering the expertise of a lifetime, taking part major and secondary faculty college students work with business professionals throughout a number of disciplines as a part of the preparation and efficiency of the Spectacular offering a singular coaching alternative for college kids onstage in addition to backstage in areas like stage administration, audio, lighting and video.
College students within the VSSS prepare and carry out below the steering of business professionals who make up the Artistic Workforce together with Artistic Director Neill Gladwin, Musical Director Chong Lim AM, Dance Director Yvette Lee, Artistic Producer Simon Okay Patterson, Costume Designer Isaac Lummis, and award-winning Lighting Designer Paul Jackson.
Artistic Director Neill Gladwin shares,“This yr our pupil forged gave us tune themes of flying, floating and hovering; music that was really on air. From these concepts the 2025 Spectacular was born – transcending the terrestrial and embracing the stratosphere.
The Spectacular brings power and empowerment to the scholars, and their journey and expertise in hand brings power to their academics and households. Sturdy completely satisfied communities are wholesome communities. Worthy of celebration.”
Dance Director Yvette Lee provides,“Seeing the scholars’ progress over the yr from rehearsals till the massive day is among the best joys to observe. Their power and keenness is obvious in each dance rehearsal and their pleasure on present day explodes as they stay their greatest life on stage. They study a lot throughout this course of and I’m thrilled that I get to see them flourish all through all the course of and overjoyed as a few of them proceed into the world of the performing arts after their faculty years.”
Supporting the Victorian Authorities’s Training State targets, the Spectacular ensures extra college students attain the very best ranges of feat within the arts, music creativity serving to to create completely satisfied, wholesome and resilient youngsters, constructing satisfaction and confidence in our colleges.
The Spectacular will likely be carried out twice on 13 September and broadcast at a later date, with tickets on sale now at ticketek.com.au/spectacular
