Year 12 student, Dominique Doig, will take centre stage at the 2022 Top Acts Concert.
Mentone Grammar’s Theatre Studies student, Dominique Doig (Year 12), captivated the audience at the 2022 Top Class Concert in March as part of the VCE Season of Excellence. Her stunning performance of ‘Polly and Polly as Pirate Jenny’ from ‘The Threepenny Opera’ earned her a place at the prestigious 2022 Top Acts concert, which is to be held at the Melbourne Recital Centre in May. This two-hour concert showcases extraordinary performances by VCE composers, dancers, musicians and actors. With only 20 students from across Victoria being selected to perform at Top Acts, Mentone Grammar is thrilled at Dominique’s extraordinary achievement.
At the conclusion of 2021, the VCE Performing Arts students who received exceptional results in their performance examinations were invited to audition for the 2022 Top Class. Mentone Grammar was delighted that six students received the honour of auditioning in Dance, Drama and Theatre Studies.
Drama Teacher, Mr Jamie McCarney says, “Mentone Grammar is renowned for its exceptional standard within the Performing Arts, and all six students have been an active part of the many opportunities at this School. The Top Class auditions were a wonderful opportunity for our Mentone Grammar students to showcase their creativity and imagination. It is certainly a coveted opportunity!”
Following the auditions, two Mentone Grammar students, Samuel Dyer (Class of 2021) and Dominique Doig (Year 12), were selected to perform their solos at the 2022 Top Class Concert. Samuel presented an inventive original piece for VCE Drama, and also joined Dominique in performing an adaptation of an existing monologue for Theatre Studies.
A proud supporter of our students is Theatre Studies Teacher, Ms Louise Daly, who says, “In order to achieve a place in the Top Class Concert, VCE students needed to receive a near perfect score for the performance exam, and of course, at the auditions, present their monologue in an interesting and unique interpretation. This isn’t an easy thing to achieve, as there are so many talented students around Victoria. Dominique and Samuel both demonstrated a strong work ethic throughout VCE, and worked to their strengths, incorporating many theatrical skills from across the Performing Arts.”
Now graduated, Samuel has chosen to pursue a creative career at JMC Academy, studying a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Acting). Reflecting on his time at school, Samuel says, “When I arrived at Mentone Grammar in Year 5, I was provided with a wide range of opportunities to get involved in the Performing Arts. I had so much support from my teachers, who constantly encouraged me to follow my creative passions. I did everything I possibly could, from musicals to plays, to lessons, which helped me grow into who I am today, and helped reaffirm that this was the path I wanted to follow.”
Dominique is busy studying for her final year at Mentone Grammar, and is currently working with Ms Louise Daly, to perfect her monologue for the 2022 Top Acts Concert. This concert is the highest level of performance a student can achieve within VCE Performing Arts. It is an honour few have attained.
Those watching the concert will see Dominique’s monologue from the satirical play, ‘The Threepenny Opera’ by Bertolt Brecht. Ms Louise Daly details, “Her performance is in the Theatrical style of ‘Epic Theatre’, which uses alienation techniques to distance the audience, so they can study the story objectively and recognise the social realities. This play explores themes such as corruption and the commodification of the individual, so employing Epic Theatre techniques is a stark reminder that these themes do not just belong in the theatre. Dominique has incorporated the use of song, stylised movement, discordance and multi-roling to achieve a very unique interpretation.”
Dominique chose to portray the character of ‘Polly’ because of the hilarious plotline, ‘My monologue depicts a young, naïve bride who secretly fantasises about killing the men around her and becoming the Captain of a pirate ship. When portraying these fantasies, Polly turns into her sultry and powerful alter ego, Pirate Jenny.”
“Being invited to perform at both Top Class and Top Acts feels truly amazing! I feel immensely grateful for all the support I received from Ms Daly and my extremely talented peers. Throughout the development process, Ms Daly gave me, and the whole class, all the skills we needed to succeed and flourish as performers. This whole experience has been so rewarding, and I couldn’t have come so far without the support of my teacher and the Mentone Grammar environment.”
We are looking forward to watching Dominique perform at Top Acts, which is to be held at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday 20 May 2022, at 7.30pm. We also wish her all the best in her final year at Mentone Grammar.
For those wishing to attend Top Acts, tickets for the concert can be purchased via the MRC Box Office:
https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/events/2022/top-acts-2022.
Written by Stephanie Kinnear