Arts Excellence

The Drama Excellence Program is open to Secondary students who wish to advance their skills in Drama and performance. 

The Scene Project is a signature experience within Tamborine Mountain College’s Drama Excellence Program, delivered in partnership with Queensland Theatre. Designed for students in Years 7–12, the program immerses young artists in the full theatre making process, from the script to final performance.

Rather than studying theatre from the sidelines, students and teachers collaborate as artists to interpret a newly commissioned play and transform it into an original 15 minute performance. Each year, Queensland Theatre develops a bespoke script written especially for young performers, challenging students to explore the text creatively, experiment with staging, and bring their own artistic voice to the work.

Throughout the year, students rehearse alongside their teachers, supported by high-quality creative resources and professional learning opportunities. Queensland Theatre teaching artists visit the College to facilitate workshops, offer expert guidance, and support the creative journey as ideas evolve. Through this process, students build confidence, collaboration skills, creative problem solving capabilities, and expressive performance techniques.

The Scene Project culminates in Outcome Day, where participating schools gather at a professional performance venue to share their interpretations and celebrate the creative process. Students also experience a full professional production of the script performed by Queensland Theatre artists under the same creative parameters, providing valuable insight into professional practice and fresh inspiration for their own theatre making.

At Tamborine Mountain College, The Scene Project reflects our commitment to nurturing creative thinkers and courageous performers, young people who are encouraged to collaborate, take artistic risks, and express their unique voices on and beyond the stage.

2026 Program – ICARUS: Reworked

In 2026, The Scene Project centres on ICARUS: Reworked, a contemporary retelling of the ancient Greek myth. Adapted for young artists by Queensland playwrights David Burton, Maxine Mellor, Maddie Nixon and Merlynn Tong, the script offers creative flexibility while presenting fresh perspectives on a timeless story.

The work provides rich opportunities for students to explore character, symbolism, movement and voice, while connecting classical themes with modern ideas and experiences relevant to young people today.

In their Primary years, our students partipate in the Primary Performance, and Senior years, talented students have the opportunity to engage in the Arts Excellence Program whereby their artwork may be exhibited in galleries.

The Arts Excellence Program provides students in Years 7–12 with opportunities to extend their artistic practice beyond the classroom and become active members of the College's creative community.

Students are encouraged to develop their individual artistic strengths, experiment with new ideas and techniques, and build a growing portfolio of work. Through the program, students create artworks for exhibitions, competitions, collaborative projects and public display, giving them authentic opportunities to see their work reach audiences beyond the classroom.

Arts Excellence students contribute to a diverse range of creative projects across the College, including murals, collaborative sculptures, musical sets, installations and exhibition displays. These experiences allow students to work individually and collaboratively while developing practical skills in designing, making, problem-solving, presenting and installing artwork.

A key focus of the program is connecting students with opportunities in the wider arts community. Students are supported to develop and submit artworks to a range of local and regional competitions, exhibitions and arts events, providing valuable experience in preparing work for exhibition and building their artistic portfolios.

TMC students have showcased their work through opportunities including the Tamborine Mountain Show, Gold Coast Show, Darcy Doyle Art Awards, HOTA's Energies exhibition and SWELL Sculpture Festival, with students achieving success across a range of exhibitions and competitions.

Students also play an important role in ArtsFest, the College's annual celebration of the Arts. The exhibition provides an opportunity for student work to be professionally presented and celebrated by families and the wider College community.

Where opportunities arise, students may also engage with practising artists and creative professionals through workshops, demonstrations and collaborative experiences, gaining insight into different artistic processes and creative pathways.

Through Arts Excellence, students are encouraged to create ambitiously, take creative risks and pursue opportunities beyond the classroom, developing both their artistic skills and confidence as young artists.

Students in Year 5 to 12 who have purchased their own instrument also receive free weekly tuition as part of our Instrumental Music Program (one half hour lesson per week in small groups, scheduled during class time). 

Students are placed in the Junior Band or Senior Band according to ability. Our students learn a wide variety of music, performing regularly in chamber ensembles and as a band at school events and in the community.