It has been three years since WC last put on a major production and what a show it was! Amadeus is a 1979 play by Peter Shaffer which gives a fictional account of the lives of composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, imagining a rivalry between the two at the court of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.

The original concept for the production was created last year, with things really gearing up at the start of term 1 with auditions and intensive rehearsals. Cast in the role of Mozart was Tom Simpson, and splitting the part of Salieri (to great effect) were Lui Meo and Miles Beaglehole.

We were also fortunate to welcome outstanding acting talent from Wellington Girls’, Wellington East Girls’ College, St Mary’s College and Wellington High School. The complete cast list was:

The production used our combined Wellington College/Wellington Girls College Orchestra to provide a live, full orchestral accompaniment. The musicians expertly performed the music of Salieri and Mozart (and a few more modern works!) across all four performances.

Our tech team, led by Robert Naulls, did a spectacular job making the production look highly professional and smoothly dealing with the mixed media concept of projection against a painted background organised by Aidan Brent.

It takes a village to bring a show like this to life, and the staff support has been overwhelming with individuals giving so much time to making things work. Special shout out to directors Ms Cooper and Ms Cain, producers Ms Humby and Ms Nolden, costumers Ms O’Donnell and Mr Gorman, Ms Webster for overseeing the tech, and Mr Ashton for organising the orchestra. Plus a big thank you to our sponsors, Dulux and our wonderful donors who helped make the show a real success!

A huge congratulations to all the students, staff, and wider community whose dedication, talent and countless hours of work brought this remarkable show to life.

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