STAR PERFORMER: Hayden Buchanan is in Sydney rehearsing as a featured artist for the Schools Spectacular.
ORANGE High School year 12 student Hayden Buchanan is in Sydney this week for the featured artist call and the beginning of six weeks intensive rehearsals for this year’s 29th Schools Spectacular.
Hayden joins 58 other featured artists, chosen from more than 350 talented students, who auditioned to be in the iconic show.
Relieving Schools Spectacular director Sonja Benson told the featured artists yesterday their achievements were fantastic.
“You don’t know how great you can be,” she said.
“Over the next six weeks you will grow as an artist and as a person.”
The Schools Spectacular will be held at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on November 23 and 24 November, with four performances to audiences of up to 10,000 people and televised Australia-wide.
An inspirational performing arts showcase - this year titled Our Time - the Schools Spectacular brings together the featured artists with a 1300-voice choir, 180 musicians, 2000 dancers and a marching band.
It is Hayden’s first Schools Spectacular as a featured artist and comes after two years in the choir.
“This year will be more about the performance than just singing,” Hayden said.
“It’s the chance to perform that I’m looking forward to more than anything else.”
Although the Schools Spectacular is one of the biggest shows of its kind, Hayden is not daunted by the size of the spectacle, or the huge audiences.
He has been on the stage since he was six years old and his father, Bruce Buchanan, is a long-time stalwart of the local theatre scene.
Stepping away from the choir, may offer a different perspective, but that will not faze Hayden, who is determined to put on the performance of his life.
“I’m not worried about the audience,” Hayden said.
“I’ve performed so much, I’m ready to do it.”
nicole.kuter@ruralpress.com
