Being in the school play is a pivotal part of many teenagers’ educational experience: friendships are formed, stage fright overcome, memories made. But imagine if your school play was documented live by a camera crew, then released as a film for the world to see.
That’s the reality for the students at Sunbury and Macedon Ranges specialist school in Bullengarook, Victoria who make their stage and screen debut in This is Going to Be Big: a documentary following the production of their John Farnham jukebox musical, titled The Time-Travelling Trio, from auditions to rehearsals to opening night.
Written and directed by Melbourne-based film-maker Thomas Charles Hyland in his feature-length debut, the documentary is making its world premiere at Melbourne international film festival on Wednesday. Both Hyland’s mother and sister are music teachers, and the idea for the film was sparked about five years ago when he was in the audience at one of their productions.
“I was struck by how much fun it was, how funny it was … how endearing it was just to notice the different personalities on stage,” Hyland says. “It felt like a really great narrative structure for some human stories to be told.”
So he set about finding a school that would let a film-maker in behind the scenes. His criteria: no rich inner-city schools, regional setting preferred, and most importantly, students that could tell their own stories. Another teacher recommended Darcy Nolan, the longtime music teacher at Sunbury and Macedon Ranges. The school ticked all the boxes: lockdowns had scuppered their biennial production, but they were ready to make a comeback.
When Hyland decided to work with the school, they were unsure what the production would be. He saw the original Farnham project take shape in real time, co-written by Nolan and drama teacher Lori Nichols, who only started teaching at the school last year. “I literally came on board and a camera was stuck in my face,” Nichols laughs.
Recognising the social responsibility involved in working with special needs students, the director partnered with Bus Stop Films, a disability-led organisation, to ensure a safe, inclusive environment, with all crew members receiving appropriate training.
“It’s the person-first, rather than a diagnosis-first,” Hyland says. He wanted to help the students tell their stories, not “use them to make a political point”.
“It’s not the story of disability or being neurodiverse,” he adds. “It was always going to be a story about being a teenager.”
From there it was all systems go, with the crew visiting the school every Thursday. “I had no idea it would be this big,” Nichols says. “We met Tom and he started to just come in with his camera, and then it slowly increased … an extra cameraman, and then another cameraman, and then a sound guy.”
“It was very organic and based on trust … just putting in time and being really attentive,” Hyland says.
The film centres on four neurodivergent teenagers – Chelsea, Elyse, Halle and Josh – as they prepare for their roles in the musical. They are also shown with their families and each other, giving glimpses into their everyday lives, what Hyland calls “the silly, prosaic elements … the real stuff of life.”
The crew made the students feel at ease. “They gave us a lot of reassurance,” says Josh, a 17-year-old aviation enthusiast who has an intellectual disability and an autism spectrum disorder. In the film Josh is disappointed when he doesn’t land the coveted role of 1980s Farnham, but takes it in his stride. “That’s because I have a brilliant mum and grandma who have taught me how to go about certain situations,” he tells me proudly when I commend this mature outlook.
The musical follows three students who travel back in time, meeting Farnham at various stages of his career. For Halle, who plays 1980s Farnham, it’s especially meaningful as she performs You’re the Voice, her late aunt’s favourite song. (An endearing exclamation from Halle, when she finds out she’s landed the role, gave the film its title.)
Josh plays 1960s Farnham, leading a spirited rendition of the singer’s debut single, Sadie (The Cleaning Lady). “Being the 60s John Farnham was actually an amazing experience … I mean, that’s when he first started his career,” he says.
“I just think of him as being such an ever-present person in the Australian mainstream cultural landscape,” Hyland says, of Farnham. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve heard these songs over the last year … but every single time that introduction of You’re the Voice starts playing, I can’t help but crack a smile.”
Due to ill health, Farnham couldn’t attend the production in March, but Gaynor Wheatley – the widow of his long-time manager Glenn Wheatley – was in the audience on opening night. “She enjoyed it,” beams Nichols. “I’d love to know that John Farnham gets to see it at some point.”
MIFF’s red carpet awaits. Josh tells me he’s going to Lowes to get his suit and tie for the occasion but the students had a premiere of their own at a local cinema. “That was actually quite interesting – not only do you get to see yourself on television, but it was actually brilliant how they’ve put it together,” says Josh, ever the analyst.
For Hyland, it was emotional and cathartic, as he reflected on his own adolescence while celebrating the students who made the film possible. “I could have cried,” he says. “They all stood up and took turns saying what the process has meant to them, what the film means to them. It was magical.”
This is Going to be Big starts screening as part of Melbourne international film festival on 9 August; see here for dates around Victoria.
