Madelaine Nunn’s Unicorn Girl is a quirky and heartfelt coming-of-age story exploring identity, friendship and the responsibilities that come with leadership. Under the direction of Rhiannon Thomas, John Wollaston Anglican Community School’s production embraced the humour and heart of the script, delivering an enjoyable evening of student theatre.
In the interests of transparency, I came to this production with a particularly close understanding of the material, having recently directed Unicorn Girl myself at Santa Maria College. This was, in fact, part of my interest in seeing another school’s interpretation of the work. Having worked intimately with the script, I also appreciate that Unicorn Girl is not necessarily an easy play to stage. As a relatively new ensemble work with a large cast and limited opportunities for traditional set, it asks a great deal of both director and performers—although finding inventive solutions to those limitations can also be part of the fun.
Leading the cast as Sam, Alexis Atkins gave a warm and engaging performance, bringing an endearing quality to the title character. Her strong vocal projection ensured Sam’s journey remained easy to follow.
Among the supporting cast, Victoria Moyo delivered a confident and energetic performance. Ash Ulerick also made a memorable impression as Lee, with thoughtful vocal choices—including a subtle accent—that gave the character an appropriately slimy, slightly gangster-like quality.
Lila De Sena impressed with her versatility across multiple roles, particularly as Principal Higgins and one of the office ladies. She brought a lovely, bright energy to the stage, complemented by clear diction and strong vocal projection.
One of the production’s greatest strengths was its embrace of theatricality. The inclusion of original songs, composed by Sophie Albury, was a fun and unique addition, creating opportunities to bring the ensemble together and giving this interpretation its own identity. Creative staging choices also stood out, particularly the imaginative use of ensemble members’ bodies as pieces of the set—at one point, quite literally becoming a table. These moments added visual interest while keeping the larger ensemble actively involved in the storytelling. The decision to cast Archie Richards as Mum was another playful choice that suited the production’s heightened comic style and demonstrated a willingness to have fun with the material.
There were, however, moments where confidence wavered, with some uncertainty around lines occasionally interrupting the flow. More significantly, the overall energy and momentum softened through the middle and particularly towards the latter stages of the production.
Having recently worked with the script myself, I think some acknowledgement must be given to the material here. Unicorn Girl becomes quite dialogue-heavy and, in my view, somewhat overwritten towards its conclusion. There are sections that could benefit from substantial tightening, and sustaining energy through these passages presents a genuine challenge for both young actors and their director. Greater pace and confidence through these later scenes would nevertheless have helped maintain the momentum established earlier and strengthened the production’s final impact.
Despite these moments, the cast’s commitment was evident throughout. Unicorn Girl provides an accessible vehicle for a large school ensemble, giving young performers opportunities to explore comedy, character work, physical theatre and collaboration, and this production embraced those opportunities with enthusiasm.
School theatre is about far more than delivering a perfectly polished performance. It is about building confidence, developing creativity, taking risks and giving young people the opportunity to experience the joy of making theatre together. John Wollaston Anglican Community School’s Unicorn Girl embodied that spirit. The evident enjoyment of the cast, some inventive directorial choices and a strong sense of ensemble made for an entertaining evening. The cast and student technical crew should be commended for bringing this challenging and vibrant work to the stage!
To book tickets to Unicorn Girl, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1553471.
