A little bit of classic Australian theatre comes to Margaret River Senior High School's Ray Harwood Auditorium this month, when students from the upper school drama class unveil their production of Cosi.
Written by Louis Nowra and set in a 1970s Melbourne mental institution, Cosi follows the story of a young and inexperienced director taking on the challenge of directing an opera, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, featuring a cast of patients who speak no Italian and can't sing a note.
On April 27, 28 and 29, the students will take to the stage in a production that MRSHS Head of Drama, Meredith McCormack said held past messages of hope for a difficult today.
"This comedy is based loosely on work Nowra did as a director working with a cast of mental health patients because, in his words, 'working with mental patients seemed to me to be something to believe in, something far removed from the political rhetoric of the anti-Vietnam war protests'," said Ms McCormack.
"This didn't stop the fear he first felt facing the earnest, shy, sick patients who would be his cast.
"Both director and patients made it through all of the challenges this production presented and Nowra describes his post show pride when he wrote, 'one thing I am proud of is how the shyer members of the cast blossomed and gradually I lost any notion of Me and Them'.
"Cosi reflects how far we have come overcoming prejudice and stigma associated with mental health," said Ms McCormack.
"There are not many people who won't, at some time or another, be affected because someone they love is suffering from mental illness. The first decision our cast made was to develop these fascinating, characters with both the humour and the respect Louis Nowra intended.
"Nowra wrote this play in the 90s - set it in the 70s and drew on themes from an Italian opera written in 1790, and yet in 2021 it still resonates with these young performers and tells our audience an important story about compassion and community."
Ms McCormack said COVID-19 had such an impact on the arts world that the time was right to focus on the benefits of theatre and performance.
"One of Cosi's most important themes is the ability for the artistic process to heal, nurture and to inspire confidence, self-worth and growth.
"There has never been a more important time to come together to celebrate the talents of our performing arts students and the joy live theatre can bring."
Cosi runs from 7pm on April 27, 28 and 29, concluding at around 9.30pm. Complimentary tea, coffee and cake will be served during a short interval.
Tickets ($15) are on sale now via www.trybooking.com/734865.