Pakenham Secondary College - Rock Eisteddfod Challenge

Rock Eisteddfod Challenge

The college has entered the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge every year since 2005 (except for 2008). In 2005, the college performed a piece entitled 'Evolution', which depicted the evolution of computer games such as Pacman, Frogger, Mario Bros and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The college took out awards for Concept and Costuming: Character, however they did not qualify for the 2005 Open Division grand final.

In 2006, the college did a piece called 'Gaia', which was based around Gaia, who is a mother earth figure, and the four elements - air, fire, water and earth are battling for supremacy, in which it is slowly killing Gaia, so the four elements must learn to work together to make the environment a better place. In the heats they were awarded awards for Choreography, Stage Use, Performance Skill, Concept, Drama, Soundtrack, Set Design and Function, Costuming: Character, Visual Enhancement and Student Achievement. The college progressed into the grand final and took out 2nd place including awards for Stage Use, Performance Skill, Concept, Set Design and Function and Entertainment.

In 2007, the college was entered into the premier division for the first time with a show entitled Living Memory, a story based loosely on Seamous Heaney's poem 'The Lady in the Bog'. It involved a group of school children on an excursion, and they are taken back in time to early Irish times, where the druids reign and the town is ruled by them. Each year they celebrate life by having a sacrifice, so it was a stage-by-stage process. The final 20 are represented in the colour red and fire was used as a metaphor as it represented all the sex that would occur during the process. The next scene was a blue scene, which represented the vulnerability of the final 12 chosen, and then they choose the final girl and the rest of the village celebrates. In the heats, they were awarded awards for Choreography, Stage Use, Performance Skill, Concept, Set Design and Function, Costuming: Character and Visual Enhancement, and progressed into the premier grand final, taking out the award for Drug Awareness, and did not place.

In 2009, the college performed a show called 'The Legend of Taiga', which was a journey of two children where their nighttime story becomes reality. Their bedroom turns into a forest and the Leshiyes, deemed kings of Taiga, transport them on a journey through the land of forests, the lake and animals. They hear a sudden lullaby and they return home, but all the creatures don't want them to leave so they all follow the children home, but their Mum catches them all in the kids bedroom. The college had the youngest team in the Victorian Rock Eisteddfod premier division, with approximately 75% of participants in years 7, 8, and 9. We also had a brand new teaching staff, and for the first time, the show was almost entirely driven by the students. In the heats, they were awarded awards for Choreography, Stage Use and Performance Skill, and progressed into the premier division grand final, but did not gain any awards or a place.

In 2010, the college considered entering a RAW division team with a limited amount of student participation and higher amount of teacher support, however this is not confirmed.