From the western Queensland bush to the bright lights of Broadway, the latest production from the Longreach School of Distance Education sure made a big impression.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison wasn’t even the biggest name to personally congratulate LSODE students on their performance of The Amazing Adventures of Super Stan.
Oscar-nominated actor Hugh Jackman sent the students a video all the way from New York, wishing them luck ahead of their debut in front of a packed audience of 600 at the Longreach civic centre.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Longreach...and I will make the pilgrimage at some point in my life,” he said.
“Unfortunately I can’t make the date of the very, very highly anticipated musical The Amazing Adventures of Super Stan.
“I am hoping to catch it somehow, somewhere… maybe when it first comes to Broadway.”
He also singled out the school’s deputy principal Rachelle Moore for her tireless work organising the production behind the scenes.
“Mrs Rachelle Moore, this is your fourth musical...you are the best. You are the reason people like me go on to do this,” he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote to the students to let them know how proud their communities would be.
“Congratulations to all involved – I hope you have a fantastic time demonstrating firsthand to your audience what ‘Excellence in education for isolated families’ looks like, feels like and sounds like,” he wrote.
Even the show’s creator, English writer Craig Hawes, got in touch with LSODE students from his studio in Sherwood Forrest, Nottingham.
“I am over the moon that you have chosen one of your shows to do as your school production,” he said.
“I know all about the hard, hard challenges of putting on a school production.
“But you have taken it to the highest possible level. Rehearsing long distance across the Australian outback – that’s the biggest classroom I’ve ever heard of.”
