Rainbow Fish Musical makes a splash at Otonga School

Carissa Billing as a silver scale (left), Ilo Hyde as the Rainbow Fish and Evie Muggeridge as a silver scale. Photo / Jasmin Boyce

The curtain has closed on Otonga School’s rendition of The Rainbow Fish Musical presented in collaboration with Lakes Performing Arts Centre for 2024, leaving students with vivid memories of an experience focused on kindness, generosity, and the true meaning of beauty.

For production director and centre owner Natasha Benfell, it was her 7-year-old daughter’s attendance and the playful spirit of school principal Gareth Cunliffe that made her agree to the whole school production, for the first time.

“He’s so about play, like he’s not one of these principals that sit in his office and you never see him … on book day he’s dressed up as Tintin, he’s out and about with the kids all the time.

“[That] really resonates with me being in the performing arts sector, because that’s what we do, that’s what play is,” Benfell said.

Carissa Billing and Evie Muggeridge cast as silver scales during the Rainbow Fish Musical. Photo / Jasmin Boyce

She said watching the young performers embody school values and learning on and off the stage was something she was very proud of.

“Seeing their confidence grow with each performance and how they supported one another behind the scenes was so heartwarming. The joy on their faces as they told this beautiful story — and the pride they felt when the audience cheered — made all the hard work worth it,” Cunliffe said.

Carissa Billing (left), Ilo Hyde, Evie Muggeridge, Paige Coxhead, Lockie Wade, Baylor Zhou and Neal Pardal. Photo / Mark Smith