“Good messages within. You Can Do It program – good links. Good teacher support pack. A great performance!!! Thanks. As always it was fantastic. Another great performance”. – Jackie Alexander, George St PS
“Professional and entertaining. I wish all our contacts were this good (with regard to conduct on the day). Good links with You Can Do It program. Plenty of ideas and suggestions for activities. We all thoroughly enjoyed the production for the 4th year in a row. Keep doing what you are doing so well. Children thoroughly enjoyed the performance, even though some Grade 6 boys didn’t like to show it! Great responses when we got back to school. Liked the special effects. Great costumes. Very clever set construction with effective changes. Look forward to Hercules. Hopefully will have a bit more time to familiarise children with original story.” – Barbara Poustie, Quarry Hill PS
“The enthusiasm of the actors is obvious. Question time is great. Support material very worthwhile.” – Shane Harricks, Tongala PS
“The feedback from the children was extremely positive. The script is clever enough to entertain children and adults at a variety of levels. Once again I am impressed with the quality of the production you are able ot present to our children. I appreciate the effort and professionalism of Alpha Shows and the children thoroughly enjoyed the experience.” – Chris McCallum, Katunga PS
“Once again, absolutely BRILLIANT! Loud, clear, full of expression. Very clever and witty (script). Thankyou (Teachers love this). Cast were extremely well mannered/polite/cute etc. This is good to be able to have follow up lessons at teachers pace. Alpha are First Rate Quality! Excellent Value. You could come 2 x a year! I could not see a single student who was not engaged during the entire performance -> very hard act to follow. The music, fantastic. The script, costumes, cast, all fantastic. Evil Stepmother – you rock!” – Lisa Veysey, Guthrie St PS
“Outstanding, as we have come to expect. Incorporated stereotypes with today’s jargon & humour to suit all age groups. Music used also accessible to the young audience. First Rate! Terric role models for primary students, especially popular with senior kids, which is always a great yardstick. Teacher Support Material is very comprehensive with pre-show/post-show ideas. Maybe some activities – quiz questions, word-search, comprehension would be valuable. A high quality, professional production that we all look forward to each year. Sets, lighting, sound, costumes, script, continuity all great. Kids loved participating and responded positively to the show. 90 mins passed very quickly and no child asked to leave the room, which goes to show how engaged they were. Even g.6 boys and girls became involved with the characters and demonstrated an interest in the performance and the performers as displayed during question time. The show gives teachers considerable material for literacy. In my own class I asked my g.3/4 students to write their own version of Cinderella after discussion your performance, old-fashioned values, stereotypes and formulaic structure of fairytales. Of high relevance and value to our curriculum. CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS TO YOU ALL.” – Marg Roberts, Kunyung PS
“They were professional and had a lot of fun. It was a well thought out and professional production that related to the children. They interacted very well with the students. I thought it was an excellent production, definitely the best school based production I have seen.” – Peter Walsh, Westgrove PS
“Lots of action, great voices (accents). Traditional story with a twist. Fantastic, thanks Ben (very professional). Kids loved the story, action, music and performances. 1. Good professional organisation. 2. Punctual. 3. Great music. 4. Great action. 5. Great costumes. Sorry about the power failure!” – Stephen Hawkins, Brighton PS
“A great show again Ben! Thank you – Next year…” – Graham Haynes, Kananook PS
“Children loved it. Great. It was funny! Audience participation, morals of the story were no compromised. Romance upheld – important for children nowadays! Liked links to “You Can Do It” program. Music was familiar to kids”. – Kananook PS
“Held the attention of the audience throughout the performance. High level of enjoyment from the audience. A most enjoyable experience for everyone – teachers and children. Excellent props, costumes and story. I think the mouse really stole the show. Well done!” – Stuary Gilchrist, Kananook PS
“Excellent job! Costumes excellent, script funny and enjoyable for all ages. Enjoyed by all. Prep children were on such a high after performance. Loved it! Stepmother was scary. The children were dancing around after production. The whole school involvement was excellent.” – Amanda Russell, Kanannook PS
“The students thought it was fantastic! There were gasps of delight when they saw the fire. They were spellbound by the disappearing pumpkin and booed in all the appropriate places! It was a real treat for students and staff alike. Fantastic costumes and scenery added to the quality of the show and the talent of the performers.” – Glenys Bailey, Kananook PS
“The actors appeared to be enjoying themselves and this came through to the audience. Terrific. I thought it was great because it gave an old and valued story new spark. It is critical we keep such stories alive. The conduct of the performers was professional at all times. I think they have a good grasp of the knowledge that it is what they bring to the production that makes or breaks the play. It brought an age old fairytale into modern times. The value of fairytales is huge (particularly comprehension) and the play rekindled that spirit to love such stories. The best judge of this is the reaction of the children and they loved it. They were allowed ‘to be part’ of the play. It mixed a serious story with humour, dance, music etc to make it live. As stated above the children really enjoyed it. Once of the strengths was the play/musical comedy and that it appealed to the various ages in different ways yet still conveyed the social messages the story revolves around. Excellent. I thought it was terrific as it involved the audience ie. interactive, and had good ‘pace’ which maintained the audience’s interest. As cited a couple of times above the survival of fairytales is critical to continued development of literacy skills. This show goes a long way to assist this (as well as encouraging performing arts). – Val Lockwood, Healesville PS
“Excellent. Bit loud at times, but I’m old! Excellent. A great production again! In tune with children. Excellent support materials pre and post production. Excellent during question time – time to consolidate. All children were totally engaged in the show. Great pupil participation from Prep to 6. Excellent props, staging. One of the best productions we have seen. Question time excellent idea (teaches values etc). Looking forward to next year.” – Monika Allamby, Macclesfield PS
“Excellent, we loved it. All ways great! Ben we loved everything. We look forward to next year!” – Michael Cowden, Karingal Heights PS
“As always, attention to detail in every way and total professionalism. Just keep doing what you’re doing! Alpha Shows always generate excitement and discussion amongst our students – our Year 7s and 8s want to know why they don’t get to go still! Alpha is always so happy to accommodate our needs and have an obvious commitment to constantly improving and giving our students the best experience possible. I love that even our ‘older’ students enjoy being silly and childish and there were jokes for just the ‘adults’.” – Susie Heggie, The Peninsula School
“More More More! Again another awesome experience. The kids absolutely love every minute and so do the staff! Kepp up the amazing energy, passion and shows!” – Debbie Bay, Concord School
“Excellent. Performers kept the children engaged throughout the performance. Baldrick – Brilliant. Very clever adaptation of fairytale into a modern form. Chn relate to language well. Very professional and helpful. It was great to have both pre and post show material to use – excellent. Concepts relate well to “You can do it” program. Students were thoroughly engaged. Older students enjoyed humour of show and modern songs. Young students were captivated and enthralled for entire performance. Teachers all enjoy the experience immensely. Many thanks. Question and Answer session very good. Interaction with students was valuable, explanations for children was great.” – Jo Jolley, Burbank PS
“Actors related especially to younger kids in front at first, and then fabulous to target older kids – ‘cool kids’. Littlies P-4 love it. Year 5 and 6 loved it because they have had the experience for several years now (of an Alpha Show), and focussed on production elements – that was really great. All children were looking forward to the badguy role Ben would play! Fabulous quality production at great price. Terrific appeal to all ages. Great choice of songs and script. Audience interaction and involvement.” – Maree Seymour, Sherbourne PS
“Dancing, singing and stagecraft were all terrific. Costumes, sets, lighting, sound and script were all highly professional. The children really appreciate the modern jokes/references to internet, playstations etc. Early arrival and setting up of equipment in a new space was excellent. Good integration with the school You Can Do It program. The students were thoroughly engrossed by the play and loved the interactive bits. One student near me was almost beside himself with excitement. I really liked the opportunity for the children to watch a professional production prior to our school concert. Thanks very much!” – Peter Brown, Malvern Valley PS
“Very entertaining. The performers and Ben were easy to communicate with and very accommodating. Highly appropriate support materials. The Values Education was great, talks abotu being yourself etc. Students very engaged and loved it. Great way to involve kids.” – Cheryl Newton, Malvern Central School
“We thoroughly enjoyed the performance and can’t wait until you visit us again next year. We always find the production team extremely professional. The script, costumes ad sets were terrific.” – Tamara Dunne, St Aloysius
“Fantastic – loved it! Great to see you choose stories the children know. Loved it. Loved being loud and booing for the baddie. Good to see some ‘adult jokes. Keeps us entertained. Cheers!” – Stacey Oldham, Black Hill PS
“Drama, imagination, storyline was of a high quality. Very entertaining. Well done. Suitable for all ages. The acting was great, along with the props and costumes. Great costumes and scenery.” – Louise Rogerson, Haddon PS
“Thanks Ben! Another wonderful experience for our kids. Thanks to the cast members for writing back to our students too – the replies generated great excitement! The kids are now talking about Hercules – a couple have already borrowed the book from the library.” – Jenny Scott, Mossgiel Park PS
“It was impressive that actors were able to play multiple roles convincingly. We enjoyed the use of modern songs and the way they fitted perfectly into the script. Everyone was very approachable, they answered all the children’s questions and have already replied to some of their letters. The children have viewed the website and enjoyed the games. The values theme supports our Friendly Schools and Families program. THE BEST ONE YET! The performances from Alpha are getting better every year. It was loved by all students who attended from years Prep to 6. The students have sent personal feedback in letters to the actors. Choice of songs, costumes, new set and special effects, enthusiasm of actors – looking forward to next year!” – Caroline McInerney and Karen Jones, Mossgiel Park PS
“We loved it. Perfect for P-6. Professional, high quality, what energy! Excellent, feeling of excitement throughout the school during the day. Thank you. Teach children how to respond to live theatre, this TV generation doesn’t know how to clap! Loved the sword fights, smoke, magic. Workshops were superb, prepared the children for pantomime. Highlight for all of us. Happy. Everyone loved it – especially the real kiss!” – Joy Hay-Smith, Paynesville PS
“Excellent balance of singing/speaking/involving children. Well written, well modernised. Fantasmagorical. High class. Best in my 33 years of teaching, worth $7! They were so excited when we got back – as I write they are drawing and spontaneously singing “We will rock you”! The professionalism of the actors/production/set. It was a real ‘cool’ treat.” – Jan Bedson, Wodonga PS
“Excellent, excellent, excellent. Fantastic show. A little less audience participation in parts would be good. (Ben: Yeah right, as if we’d take out audience participation!!! The more the better). Story, costumes, actors, sets, msuic etc were fabulous. All seemed to enjoy the show, fantastic. Our students seemed to do a lot of shouting. Great to involve audience but sometimes kids don’t know when to stop. (Ben: Yes, this is YOUR job in the pre-show discussion to talk about sensory acuity of when to ‘be quiet’.)” – Denise, Bourchier St PS
“Superb. True to storyline with a sprinkling of classic and modern references – a great mix. Could NOT hope fore more. Hypnotised. The show did a lot to teach them how to be an audience. Enthralled. Participation excellent. Nice balance of doing and watching. Loved it. Great laugh – for everyone. Appreciated the embedded messages and ‘goodness’ and ‘badness’. Brilliant! Appealed to & connected with adults down to pre-schools. I saw ‘The Gondoliers’ at the State Theatre a fortnight ago – this was better!” – Mary Lang, Tawrin Valley PS
“Actors were fantastic, funny, polished, believable. Script, excellent, mixture of traditional and modern. Ben, helpful, returned email queries promptly. Great website, maybe more worksheets (Ben: did you get the worksheets?), include Cinderella story, links to Cinderella site (Ben: there is a link to the fairytale online, it’s too long to include in the Teacher Support). Getting better every year, a very polished and sharp performance – all the elements of wonderful entertainment for all ages! Workshop with production would be wonderful, need to look at cost etc. (Ben: we can do workshops for you). All students Prep to 6 loved the show immensely. They remembered actors from previous years. Great that all students were included so all were able to experience show. Response – excited, amazed, mesmerized. We all (teachers) loved the ‘adult lines’. The ugly stepsisters were outstanding – very funny and fairly close to how some young girls behave. Adlibbing – great. “I’m a lady”!!” – Sue DeSilva, Mirboo North PS
“Excellent, professional. Enjoyed the pop culture references. Great lighting and costumes. Helpful to have so much information before the show. Fantastic, well written script. A very enjoyable show. Throughly enjoyed by all. Funny show, enjoyed the dancing and jokes. Interaction for the students was fantastic. They were engaged for the whole show.” – Julia Cullen, Heyfield PS
“Brilliant as always. Excellent, very professional. Great for this level. Keep doing what you’re doing – it works! They can’t get enough, fascinated by it all. Enjoyed being allowed to yell and scream. I love the interaction with the children and the choice of songs – the children particularly relate!! Terrific. Costumes and sets were wonderful. Keep up the great work” – Lena Clark, Eltham PS
“The performances were all excellent – great singing, energetic dancing and dynamic acting which engaged the children for the entire show. The script had a powerful and meaningful message with jokes to amuse both children and adults. The costumes and set were of a very high standard. The company conducted themselves in a very professional mannger. The support materials were good as there was a variety of activities for different ages. It’s wonderful to have such a highly professional show for the students to experience in their own school. “The sword fight was awesome” – William, Gr1. “I liked all of it” – Gen, Gr3. “When the two stepsisters met hte Prince” – Sarah, Gr3. “When they were all dancing at the end” – Matthew, Gr1. Brilliant! Funny, engaging, fast-paced, great sets and costumes and professional performances.” – David Eckel, Sandringham PS
“Always a delight to see the actors performances. Better than ever! Very professional and friendly. Again, better than ever, delivered nice and early (Teacher Support). Brilliant! I really liked it but I think it was a bit scary when it got too loud. Well organised, very professional and a great integration into various levels/subjects. That is English, integrated values.” – Patricia Amerena, Coburg West PS
“Fabulous – great rapport with the students and teachers. Excellent – music and dialogue reached preps and the Grade 6’s. Relevant and up to date. Your production reaches the ‘whole’ audience – teachers love it! At an appropriate level. I really enjoyed the performance, as did all the other members of staff. Students response is very positive. You all seem to enjoy yourselves which adds to the whole experience. Well done!!” – Trish Peel, Beverley Hills PS
