Both OnSTAGE and ENCORE celebrate exemplary work produced by HSC students from across NSW. While the nominations are significant achievements in themselves, they also provide an opportunity to recognise something less visible: the creative process required to produce work of this standard.

For Drama students, that process involves far more than memorising lines and stepping onto a stage.

The HSC Group Performance asks students to work collaboratively to create an original piece of theatre. Ideas are proposed, tested and sometimes abandoned. Scenes are reshaped and characters evolve. Timing, movement, use of space and the relationship between performers are considered again and again as students work towards a performance that feels cohesive and purposeful.

For Mat, Leila, Hannah and Laura, that process resulted in Internal Affairs, a witty and fast-paced piece following four demons applying for a job that, quite literally, fell from Heaven. Bringing the absurd premise to life required sharp comedic timing, strong characterisation and close collaboration between the four performers.

Developing a piece together requires students to listen closely to one another and become comfortable with their work changing. An idea that appears strong in discussion may not translate to the stage. A moment that once seemed essential might eventually be removed. Students have to contribute their own creative ideas while remaining responsive to the needs of the ensemble.

It is one of the reasons Drama can be such a valuable learning experience. Alongside developing performance skills, students are learning to give and receive feedback, solve creative problems, make decisions together and keep refining something even when the first attempt does not work.

The final HSC performance is the culmination of that work. Experienced HSC markers assess the students against criteria including performance skills, characterisation and the effectiveness of the dramatic work. An OnSTAGE nomination identifies exemplary HSC Drama work for further consideration for the annual showcase.

For Leila, that recognition extended to her Individual Performance of Prima Facie, an emotionally demanding piece that pushed her as a performer and required both vulnerability and control, resulting in a powerful yet beautifully delicate performance.

An Individual Performance presents a different creative challenge. The student takes greater individual responsibility for shaping and refining the work, drawing on the skills developed throughout their Drama studies to communicate a clear dramatic intention. It requires independence, considered artistic choices and the confidence to carry a performance individually.

While the process looks different in Music, the same commitment to refinement can be found behind Cecilia’s ENCORE nomination.

Cecilia was nominated for one of the piano pieces from her HSC Music 1 performance program. ENCORE showcases outstanding musicianship from HSC Music students across NSW, with final selections invited to perform as part of the annual concert at the Sydney Opera House.

Before reaching that stage, nominated performances undergo a further selection process, making Cecilia’s nomination an exciting recognition of the standard of musicianship demonstrated during her HSC practical examination.

Preparing a piece to this level is about much more than playing the correct notes.

Technical skills need to become secure enough that a musician can focus on interpretation, phrasing, expression and communication. Sections are rehearsed repeatedly, feedback is considered and small details are revisited until the performer can step into an examination and communicate the music with confidence.

For students, there is also an important lesson in learning that improvement is often incremental. A performance develops through hundreds of small decisions made over time, supported by teachers who know when to challenge, when to question and when to encourage a student to trust her own artistic judgement.

That relationship between student ownership and expert guidance is an important part of Performing Arts education at Tara.

Teachers can provide technique, feedback and experience, but ultimately it is the student who has to step onto the stage or sit at the piano and perform. Over time, students learn to take increasing responsibility for their work, respond constructively to feedback and make creative decisions with greater confidence.

This development does not begin in Year 12. It is built through years of opportunities to perform, rehearse, create and collaborate, from ensembles and productions to classroom learning and individual practice. Each experience adds another layer of skill and confidence that students can draw upon when they reach their senior years.

OnSTAGE and ENCORE nominations are therefore exciting moments, but they are also the visible result of a much longer process.

For Mat, Leila, Hannah, Laura and Cecilia, their nominations recognise the quality of their final HSC performances. They also reflect the commitment, creativity and persistence that brought those performances to the stage.

We congratulate each of them, along with the Drama and Music staff who have guided and supported their development, and wish them well as they await the final selections for OnSTAGE and ENCORE 2027.