Written by Ross Mueller and first performed at St Martin’s Youth Theatre in 2001, Colosseum is set in the grit of Melbourne at the turn of the millennium. It is a multi-layered story about 15 young lives trying to navigate their way through a series of life-changing events. The play takes the audience on a winding roller-coaster ride through crises, epiphanies, loneliness, romance and violence. Colosseum explores love, death and spirituality as they exist in the here and now.

The annual year 10 drama production has become a fixture at Gloucester High School. This year, the talented students are taking on the challenge of producing a two hour full length play of a dramatic script. This is the first serious drama in over 10 years of staging these productions.  

Director Scott Davis admits that the production has provided students with some serious challenges in terms of both staging and characterisation.

“This is a complex play”, he said.

“There are 57 scenes with multiple locations and 15 characters whose lives all intersect in some manner. Think of great ensemble films like Crash, Traffic and Babel and you will get a sense of the multi-dimensional nature of this play. It should be a very entertaining and thought-provoking night at the theatre.”

The cast features Marnie Barkwill, E J Blanch, Madison Battams, Olivia Corbett, Sophie Dunn, Paula Edwards, Kyra Edstein, Isabelle Erasmus, Chloe Garnham, Maggie Hennessy-O’Reilly, Ebony Hughes, Jasmine Keen, Charlotte Maslen, Sara McBride, Tanisha McNamara, Neve O’Brien, Hayley Rush, Ellie Schumann and Cheyenne Whitfield. Students have been working on the play since the end of last term.

Performances are at GHS Hall on Friday, December 8 at 7pm and Saturday, December 9 at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets are $4 at the door. Colosseum is rated M for mature audiences only as it contains medium level coarse language.