Welcome to HSPA Mic'd Up - First Episode

Episode 1 of Mic'd Up is hosted by Sofia and Nick - from HSPA's Leadership Team and features interviews with Zaya and Emma - who were involved in HSPA's 2025 musical 'Grease'. Their podcast also includes information on other HSPA happenings, including dance and musical updates, Live Lunches and school construction. Tune in so you don't miss a thing!

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Before we begin, we acknowledge the Awabakul and Waramai people, traditional custodians of the land where we learn and perform. We pay our respects to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Nick 0:15

Welcome to our very first episode of HSPA Mic'd Up, the official podcast of the Hunter School of the Performing Arts, or HSPA.

Sofia 0:22

Welcome to 2026. My name's Sofia, one of your vice captains student for drama.

Nick 0:26

And I'm Nick, one of your school captains, who's a dancer.

Sofia 0:29

And we're part of your senior leadership team that will be sharing the role of hosting this podcast. For this episode, though, you will be stuck with Nick and I.

Nick 0:36

So, Sofia, why are we starting this podcast?

Sofia 0:39

Well, it's an opportunity for students to hear from other students, alumni, teachers, and other interesting people in the performing arts industry.

Nick 0:46

Every fortnight we'll publish a roughly 10-minute episode filled with interesting guests as well as information about HSPA happenings.

Ms Breese 1:05

Hi everyone, welcome to HSPA's first ever podcast. I'm Tracey Breese and the proud principal of this amazing school, servicing 1,200 students all the way from the Central Coast up to as far as Stroud. We're coming to you today from the lands of the Awabakal and the Worimi people, the first storytellers and creators of this land. This podcast is exciting. It is student-led and produced, right from the jingle to the content creation to the production and all of the audio that goes with that. Our students are really keen to produce an industry quality work for you to listen to.

Sofia 1:59

Before we chat to some of the students involved in 2025's Hit Musical, Grease, we thought it would be nice to get to know Nick and I a bit. Throughout each episode, there will be new hosts where you can get to know them too.

Nick 2:10

And towards the end, we'll touch on all the stuff you need to know: events, tours, camps, performances, even what's new at the canteen this term. Because you know we are very busy people here at HSPA.

Sofia 2:20

So let's go! So we're not strangers to you guys. We thought we would introduce ourselves a bit and get to know each other. Yes. So my name's Sofia. I started in year five, which was a long, long time ago. So I've been here for like five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. This is my eighth year at HSPA. My favourite subject is probably English Extension 2, or Business Studies, or Drama. There's too many to choose from. And I guess what I want to do in the future is I want to go to Sydney and I want to study law and commerce down there. So fingers crossed, I get the ATAR for that and I can go do that. What about you, Nick?

Nick 2:55

So my name's Nick. I started in year 10, which is a little bit later. My favourite subject is probably Dance or Modern History, and my dream job would be a full-time professional dancer. So cool.

Sofia 3:05

And Nick, would you like to tell us about how you just won this really amazing dance award?

Nick 3:10

Yes, so in January I went to showcase national championships, and I was lucky enough to receive Dancer of the Year for my senior age category, which is insane. Exciting. I cannot even believe it. And I'm off to Italy in July to dance at the World Dance Movement.

Sofia 3:24

I'm so jealous. I want to go to Italy so bad. I want to try all the food, the pastas, the pizza. Oh, I'm so excited for the food. Yay, alright. Shall we get into the podcast?

Nick 3:32

Sounds good.

Sofia 3:33

Hey guys, would you like to introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about yourself?

Zaya 3:37

Hi, I'm Zaya Saltoun. I've been at HSPA since year four, and now I'm year 12, which is a lot of time. Um in for Music, but I now take Music and Drama. Yeah, and it's great.

Emma 3:49

Hi, I'm Emma Norton. I've been in school since only year seven. I'm now in year 12 and I got in for Drama.

Nick 3:56

Yay! Amazing. Okay. What was your favourite part about being in Grease?

Emma 4:02

I don't even know though. My favorite part about being in Grease was probably getting to know everybody in all the casts. Like it's such a big cast with like the orchestra, dance ensemble, drama ensemble. Like I really enjoyed meeting new people and being able to like have a circle, you know, learn from everybody. I think it was really fun.

Zaya 4:24

I was gonna say, yeah, the cast, like as much as I love the onstage stuff, I feel like for Grease, the production, like definitely the off-stage stuff and like the cast, and like before each show, we'd like to do a little circle, like an energy circle, and like everyone was so lovely, and I think that experience was so much more like what I will remember more than actually like doing the show, which like sounds bad. Of course, I love playing Sandy, but like yeah, the backstage stuff really stood out to me.

Emma 4:46

Yeah. Because there was it was like year seven, tier twelve, it was such a vast

Zaya 4:50

yeah, and like everyone like cared so much about each other, and it was just like it was so everyone wanted everyone to do really well, and everyone wanted the production to be really good. Um, so everyone was really supportive along the way of it.

Emma 4:59

Such a supportive environment.

Zaya 5:00

Yeah.

Sofia 5:01

For anyone who didn't see Grease last year, how would you describe playing Sandy?

Emma 5:04

I don't even know. It was just it was just really fun. Yeah.

Zaya 5:08

It was fun for m or at least me personally. It was a bit different because normally I don't play like those types of characters. Um so it was really different, but it was really fun to do something different like that. And um, especially since I've been doing the like musicals, um like most of them that they've had here like every second year, whatever. It was really, yeah, really sort of fun to sort of and Greece is such a good show. Like it's such like one of those.

Sofia 5:29

It's such an infamous, it's such a

Zaya 5:30

yeah, it's such like a wow, Grease. It's like it's such a good senior show. I think also it's very like timely. Like the fact that we were in year 12 doing Grease, I think it's like a very

Sofia 5:40

it was like a it's a bit of like an homage to like oh yeah, graduating waiting.

Zaya 5:45

Yeah, like everything's surreal almost. It was so fun. Yeah. But like when we st- when was it like end of 2024 when we got the announcement and we were all in the hall. In the room, everyone was talking about it for months, going, I know No, it's not gonna be Grease every week. They said they're like, it's not gonna be Grease because the orchestra's like too small. Yeah, I agree. Reeves denied it. Yeah, yeah. Reeves said it's not going to be Grease.

Nick 6:06

I remember before everyone thought it would be high school musical.

Zaya 6:08

Yeah, we all thought it would be high high school musical. We were fully convinced.

Nick 6:11

And then at the assembly, when it was Grease, everyone went, everyone looked at each other going,

Emma 6:14

I remember turning to people going, oh my gosh, they lied, guys. It really is Greece. What a dream.

Nick 6:24

Okay. Was there a moment where something went wrong on stage and you had to improvise? Anything at all?

Emma 6:31

Oh my god, there was a camera. Oh my god. A little bit like a lot of it all happened to me. Not an actual show, but our last dress show when we had the wigs.

Zaya 6:44

Oh my god.

Emma 6:45

My quick change. I was changing out of my lovely innocent yellow outfit from Sandra D. Reprise into my what Ms Stark likes to call my sassy sandy outfit. And the wig did not get pinned in properly. So when I came back on stage and proceeded to do what's "You're The One That I Want" that I want, I forgot what it was for a sec. Um, my wig completely flew off. And

Zaya 7:11

then and Jude!

Emma 7:12

I crossed the stage.

Zaya 7:15

And Ms Stark's like, don't get the wig.

Emma 7:18

He absolutely pelts the $300 wig across the room the stage and everyone just gasped. And we have it all on video.

Sofia 7:26

Every time you guys came on for the one you want, everyone was like holding their breath.

Emma 7:29

Everyone held their breath since that moment.

Zaya 7:31

Yeah, and then the dress run afterwards, I was so close. It was like the last, like

Emma 7:35

— you can like feel it.

Zaya 7:37

It was the last 20 seconds of the number, and everyone's like, she's made it. The wig stayed on and then it flew off. Um, like 20 seconds to the end of the number, and everyone's really upset. But it never flew off during a show. Yeah, which was good. It was only ever during rehearsals, But it sent chills every single time. I literally and there's a bunch of like regular like your line muck-ups, and then people have to try and like improvise and all that stuff. But that was the wig was like, and the quick change, like they had to put in a whole interlude — so we could get dressed — of people just on the stage, never forget, like getting just stabbed with bobby pins. It was uh super.

Emma 8:09

I think I hit my shin a couple of times on the car. Um literally, you just remember everyone, like because I was like the other wing and everyone just had flashlights, just yeah, trying to six-ish people like on us. Someone was doing shoes, someone was doing pants, someone was doing lipstick, someone was doing three people doing wig, like yeah.

Nick 8:27

I remember that was the part where we all had to freeze on stage in the

Sofia 8:30

it was honestly so awkward, like when we had to be on stage for that long period of time.

Zaya 8:34

But there was such an art to it though.

Sofia 8:36

I know I know it was yeah,

Zaya 8:38

it's so crazy to think how like all of that, yeah.

Nick 8:40

And I remember when we watched it on the video, we watched it, it was like like it's so different to see how it looks when you watch it. Watch it, but all like, whoa, that looks amazing. It looks so cool.

Sofia 8:50

Um, what advice would you give to students auditioning for this year's primary musical, especially those hoping for lead roles?

Nick 8:57

Well, we actually before we did this, we have our guess.

Sofia 9:01

Predictions of what musical we're trying to like predict. I haven't even thought of it.

Nick 9:05

So our our prediction that we just talked about just then was Charlie in the Chocolate Factory.

Zaya 9:09

I don't know. They've done that. Yeah, but I feel like I'm not gonna be able to do that.

Emma 9:11

I don't think they have. Yeah, I don't think.

Nick 9:12

Your guys's guess.

Zaya 9:14

Oh, well before when they were gonna do Moana, I thought it was gonna be Frozen. And then they've done Frozen. They haven't done frozen. I don't know if they're going. Frozen's kind of popular to do. So I don't know if they're gonna do it anymore. But I'm trying to think even like new stuff that's come out.

Sofia 9:26

Because they normally do like Disney, well the primary with

Zaya 9:29

uh anyway, back to the question. Oh yes.

Nick 9:31

Um, what advice do you have for the people auditioning for the new musical?

Emma 9:35

Um can taking I I should have taken this advice, especially in year seven. So this goes to primary kids and people who will want to audition for the junior play and the musical. Just go for the highest you can go for. Yeah. Just if even if you don't think you can get it, just go down from there. Yeah, because if you audition for ensemble, you're and you know, you and there's a slight chance at getting a lead role, that's not really how it works.

Zaya 10:04

Sort of like, it's like, oh, what's the game where you like pour all the balls and then they're like, no, I think I sat onto the floor like that. Yeah, like you're not gonna hit as many things if you're going to that way.

Emma 10:14

Yeah, you genuinely you just need to kind of put your shame aside and like yourself aside and just think, is there any possible chance of me being able to get this? Yeah, exactly. If there is, or even if there isn't, you just have to go for it because you can turn it down and you like you can grow from that, you know? Yeah, you can't progress without failing first.

Zaya 10:36

Yeah, especially this career, like take up every opportunity that you can. So many extra. And even if like you don't like the performing arts as much anymore, or like you're not as much into it, I think it's just it's such a fun time. And I think that like it is such a great community. Yeah, and I think that like being a you should so just even try and be a part of it. It's such a great community.

Sofia 10:53

And obviously, like we've all gone into HSPA, obviously, yeah, all talented and all the primary students are talented, so it's like go for it.

Emma 10:59

Yeah, and it's like, yeah, just even if you're not in for drama or like music, even if you're a dancer who's wanting to go for like a lead in something, it's like you shouldn't have to like think that other people are gonna question you for that. If you know you have what it takes, then nobody else should stop you from auditioning.

Zaya 11:15

You have no idea what the creative team wants. So like my like especially like like people who get nervous around auditioning. You just have to go in there and try and like I've got a like a tip, it's like try and sell yourself and like not like, oh I want this role really badly. It's just like an it's an opportunity to be in an audition room with a really good creative team and just like you're never gonna know what they want, you're never gonna know why they make the decisions that they make. So all you can do is just go in there and put out what you want to do. We try not like, you know what I'm saying? Like you see someone doing, you're like, oh, they're really good, like maybe I should do that. No, just go in and do you, do your interpretation of the role and that might book, like you might book it for that easy.

Sofia 11:47

Yeah, especially for like the Grease auditions, like, because obviously we were in year 11, so it wasn't as daunting for us, but for the year sevens, like having to go into that audition room and auditioning would have been so scary for them. So yeah.

Emma 11:58

And even if you don't get what you're after either, don't like allow that to like discredit what you think you can do. Because sometimes you can be the best singer in the room, the best dancer in the room, but the best actor. That's just not what they're looking what they're looking for. Yeah.

Zaya 12:14

Sometimes it's little things like, oh, she was too tall. Like sometimes, oh hey Miss, we needed someone like this. Like,

Emma 12:18

you just have to genuinely keep going. Yeah. Yeah.

Zaya 12:21

And even if you get a role that you'd like you don't necessarily want, like, just take it and like seize it. Like it's happened before with me, and like, but you just like you just have to go for it and you end up having a really good time.

Nick 12:33

Always having an open mind.

Zaya 12:33

Always having an open mind because you end up like learning new things. You learn new things from like different characters, and if you go for a like a character that you really want to you know you can do, you might get a character that like you're a bit scared of, but like you just you're trying new and different things and pushing yourself, I think, is really important.

Emma 12:48

And growing even with the experience that you will like gain along the way, being to have being able to have a new insight on like even just the industry in general then like interpreting just your own personal life experiences then on that role. Like obviously when I played Anna, I was 15 years old. Like, you know, not really much had happened to Little Emma.

Sofia 13:13

Well, when you guys are on Broadway, surely we get exclusive to Yeah, we'll we'll get we'll

Emma 13:18

You guys will be front row. Let's hope so. Fingers crossed, yeah, manifesting, and I don't think that

Nick 13:25

Okay. Well thank you so much for being on the podcast. Thank you so much for thank you so much for coming. Okay, we're gonna make it time. And you can officially say that you were the first.

Sofia 13:35

First people on the podcast guest of the HSPA podcast. Thank you for having us. Thank you for having us. Before we wrap up, here's a quick rundown of what's been happening and what's coming up at HSPA.

Nick 13:45

The swimming carnival was a great way to start the year. Huge effort from everyone who competed and helped out. And we have the winning house was Civic!

Sofia 13:53

My house, the best house.

Nick 13:55

We had a they had a great nutbush rendition.

Sofia 13:58

Yes, and Nick joined our house for a little bit.

Nick 14:00

Yeah, I joined Civic for a little bit. I'm so sorry, Royal.

Sofia 14:03

Great to have you there. Nick! Um, you might have noticed obviously the constructions around the school, which is making it difficult to get to B-block and everything, they can be very annoying. But um that is still ongoing and will be ongoing for a little while, so make sure you keep an eye out for updates. But don't worry. But um, once it is done, we promise it'll be worthwhile. It's gonna be so cool with a new and improved um B Block. So yeah.

Nick 14:26

Yes. And then I have a note for dance students. This time of year you'll be getting lots of emails from teachers about featured dance ensembles and Starstruck. So make sure to keep your inboxes open and make sure to have your emails ready and check everything on there.

Speaker 14:41

Um, the senior production, um, the cast of A Monster School are working very hard to bring to the stage an amazing performance.

Sofia 14:47

And I know lots of our friends are the lead roles in that, so make sure you keep an eye out for tickets because you won't want to miss it. Woo!

Nick 14:54

And don't forget, live@ lunch. Come along, support your friends, and get involved. This is a way to showcase your amazing talents every Tuesday. And you can sign up via the Canvas All Students page.

Sofia 15:04

Um, I know there's a lot of announcements, but um um Fun Fridays as well. They uh Nick and I always said they're run by our SSE team and they are at the hall at lunchtime, and you can get involved in activities like Just Dance and volleyball, and that's every Friday.

Nick 15:18

Just Dance is best.

Sofia 15:19

They're so fun. Okay.

Nick 15:21

Make sure you're checking your emails and Canvas announcements. HSPA offers so many opportunities to make sure you don't miss out.

Sofia 15:27

Honestly, one of the things I found really helpful was checking emails on the like really long ride bus ride to school. That was before I got my P's, so I could just sit on the bus and scroll through all my notifications and it helped me keep track of everything that was going on and to I guess make the long bus ride a bit less [?].

Nick 15:43

So that's yeah. And if you're ever unsure about anything, always ask your teacher. They always know what's going on, and they always know what's going on in the HSPA community.

Sofia 15:53

Alright, so that was the first episode of our podcast. HSPA Mic'd Up.

Nick 15:57

Yes, please share this episode with all your friends and tune in every fortnight when we will drop a new episode featuring more great guests and information.

Sofia 16:04

Also, we want to know what you want to hear about and who you think should be on the podcast. So drop us an email through the HSPA website with your suggestions. Also, the send it in, which is on your chemical students, is a great way as well.

Nick 16:21

Yes, thank you, Zaya and Emma, for being here being our guests. That is it for today. Thank you for listening, and remember you heard it first on HSPA Mic'd Up.