The Arts
Nurturing Budding Performers at Immanuel
As talented students discover the arts, it’s important that they are nurtured and encouraged by their peers and educators in a supportive school environment.
At Immanuel Lutheran College, we help young performers learn the performing and visual arts at school. We offer top-quality drama, dance, visual art, film and music programs that provide students with opportunities to enhance their talents and prepare for careers in the arts, or related careers where their arts-based transferable skills are highly prized.
Drama
Our school Drama programs include access to excellent facilities. At Immanuel, drama students build confidence and develop acting skills in our onsite theatre. Here, students can learn the ropes of the performing arts industry, rehearsing with their peers and producing high-quality shows and plays.
As part of our programs, students attend world-class performances in Brisbane. We provide students with practical drama skills but also with a cultured appreciation of the performing arts at a professional level.
Drama students consider diverse careers in the performing arts industry and drama-focused university programs. At Immanuel, our programs are designed to prepare students for careers as actors, broadcast presenters, theatre directors, drama teachers, television floor managers and community arts workers.
Old Scholars who are well-known in their industry include talented siblings Joey (2010) and Jemima (2014) Lai, both graduates of the University of Melbourne’s prestigious Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). Joey is an actor, writer, dancer, singer and specialises in movement practice and stage combat.
Jemima, also an actor and now Melbourne based, has credits with the Melbourne Fringe Festival, the 5AM Physical Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company’s An Ideal Husband, in which she and Joey both had roles alongside William McInnes and Gina Riley.
Another member of our alumni, Kevin Kiernan-Molloy (2001), also a graduate of VCA, is best known for having acted on The Strange Calls (2012), Underbelly (2013), Neighbours (2016) and the feature film Holding the Man (2015).
Dance
As a committed performing arts high school for the Sunshine Coast community, we recognise the value of providing students with a nuanced understanding of the performing arts industry. Students are therefore invited to attend professional dance performances locally or in Brisbane, learning skills they can carry with them into their own dancing.
Our Dance students’ talents and creativity are nurtured throughout their learning journey. It’s important that they have the confidence, skills and resilience should they pursue further education or professional roles as dancers, choreographers, personal trainers, arts administrators, dance instructors or community arts workers.
Immanuel’s dance program provides students with access to an on-campus dance studio where they learn choreography and many performance styles. There are opportunities to improve technique and train in a variety of dance modes and genres.
Music
Nurturing the many talented students at our College, we endeavour to provide high-quality music programs. Students are invited to develop technical music skills and gain a strong understanding of the music industry.
As part of our music program, students have access to a professional-quality recording studio. Students can take lessons in singing, piano, guitar, violin, cello, clarinet, and more. Students are also encouraged to learn music theory and music technology.
We hold recitals, performances for all styles of music, music tours and participate in eisteddfods, enabling our young musicians to further their interest and knowledge of music.
At Immanuel, we teach students skills they can apply to many different types of musical careers. Students are provided with a strong foundation to support university-level music study or professional roles in the music industry.
Our music students can pursue futures as musicians, composers, audio engineers, artist managers, radio professionals, music teachers, live music technicians and performing arts industry workers.
Graduates from our music programs include conservatory-trained composer, producer, IDMA award winner, twice voted Australia’s number one DJ and twice voted DJ Mag Top 100 in the world TyDi, or Tyson Illingworth (2004). We are also proud to count Queensland Conservatorium graduate Simon Schmidt (2000) as part of our alumni. Simon is an opera singer with the Flemish Opera performing in German, Russian, Italian, English, French and Latin. Benjamin Shannon (2011), a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, is a drummer, and has performed with James Morrison, the Black Sorrows, Leprous, Voyager, Art Fristoe, Tim Ruiz, and Troy Cassar-Daley. He is also an actor on various Netflix series.
At Immanuel Lutheran College, we are proud to be a leading educator of performing arts excellence on the Sunshine Coast. We know the value of our role in nurturing Australia’s next generation of drama, dance and music performers.
Visual Art
At Immanuel, students have access to a six-tier performing arts program: Dance; Drama; Music; Music Extension (Composition & Performance); Film, Television and New Media; and Visual Art.
By studying Visual Art at school, students gain an understanding of their own and others artistic practices. They learn to construct knowledge by working as both artist and audience, and they use their imagination and creativity to innovatively solve problems and experiment with visual language and expression. Through an inquiry learning model, students learn how to think critically and creatively which allows them to consider meaning and purpose when ascribing value and challenging ideas.
A course in Visual Art can establish a basis for further education and employment in the fields of arts practice, design and information technologies; broader areas in cultural institutions; and fields including advertising, communication, education, galleries and museums, film and television and public relations.
Immanuel Old Scholar Odessa Mahony-de Vries (2015) was the 2021 Immanuel Arts Festival Artist in Residence. Odessa has a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and has had numerous commissions from Sunshine Coast Council as well as a number of exhibitions on the Sunshine Coast. Her art focuses heavily on abstract expressionism where she uses a wide range of mixed media on large scale canvases. Often her work is described as layered, haptic, colourful, playful, sophisticated and possessing a strong physical presence.
Film and Media Studies
Immanuel students from Year 7 to Year 12 can study courses in film. They are introduced to programs like Photoshop in Year 7 and by Year 12, their thinking and expertise to structure visual, audio and text elements to make moving-image media products is well developed.
Students learn that film, television and new media fosters creative communication and that they form important channels for educational and cultural exchange that are fundamental to self-expression. They develop knowledge and skills in creative thinking, collaboration, critical analysis and digital and ethical citizenship. Should they decide to pursue a course of study at a tertiary level, employment in the areas of information technology, creative industries, arts administration, advertising, communication, education, design and public relations may result.
Feel inspired
Our performing and visual art offerings are designed to inspire your child to be the best they can be. Learn more about what inspires us at Immanuel Lutheran College.
