Sparks fly: Tradie’s tech dreams land ‘happy’ gig at Seabreeze

When sparky Ellie Hedington signed up to learn the ropes of live production, she never imagined she would be running a three-hour stage show for all of Darwin just a few months later.

The electrician – who is studying a Certificate IV in Live Production and Technical Services at Charles Darwin University (CDU) – and her classmates has worked alongside this year’s music students to put on the performance of a lifetime for the Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival as part of their assessment. 

“I’ve always loved music, but I’ve never done anything like this before,” Ms Hedington said.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I started the course and there’s so much to do and remember, but I’m really excited for the festival.

“We’ve had so many cool opportunities throughout the semester where the safety net of the classroom has been taken from us so we can put our skills to the test – like setting up for Kasey Chambers and now running a concert at Seabreeze.”

For Ms Hedington, assessments like these are a taste of the career she hopes to chase after graduating.

Music student Estelle Scott is a singer and guitarist, and said the performance – and regular concerts throughout the semester – would be an opportunity to build her up confidence as a performer.

“Before this course I had performed live a little bit, but nothing like this,” she said.

“Being able to practice this sort of thing in a safe and encouraging environment has been a great process for overcoming my stage fright.”

Students studying live production and a Certificate IV in Music will be taking over the ‘Happy Stage’ on Friday evening at this year’s festivities with a performance they built from the ground up throughout the semester – the show exclusively features CDU talent.

CDU Lecturer in Technical Production Angus Robson said the Fee-Free TAFE courses would play an important role in bridging the labour shortage in the Territory’s arts scene.

“We tend to get our skilled labour by them coming to Darwin, which is great, but those same people also leave Darwin for other things,” he said. 

“I would love for the Territory to take ownership of our own production and creative talent pipelines on and off stage, and I’m excited for CDU to be a part of that.”

CDU Lecturer in Contemporary Music Dr Vincent Perry said opportunities to perform in front of a Darwin audience – not just their peers – was a chance for students to showcase their skills and step into the industry as a performer.

“They can't hide that behind that disguise of going, ‘this is a school assignment’, because it's a music performance first and foremost,” he said.

“It is really throwing them in the deepest end of the pool, which is a challenging but rewarding experience for them.”