Our House
Year 10 student, Sam Diomede, had a dual role in Our House, which is based on songs by Madness. The story follows Joe Casey, who tries to impress the love of his life, Sarah, by breaking into a building under construction. When the police arrive, he has to choose whether to surrender or to run. This is where Joe’s life splits into two. Both Good and Bad Joe were played by Sam.
‘It was one of the best shows I’ve done at Valley Park,’ said Sam. ’It was also one of the most challenging. It was my first lead role so there was a lot of pressure on me to do well. There were lots of lines and dances to learn, but it was a very exciting time. I had 27 quick changes in the entire show, which was really scary. Some of them had to be completed within 10-20 seconds, and one was on stage!’
‘There was one problem: I’m small, which meant the shoes I had to wear had lifters (short high heels inside of the shoe) to make me taller. They were really strange to wear, and made running and acting a lot harder until I got used to them.’
‘I remember how nervous I was before the first show. I had all my quick changes to remember, where to leave stage, as well as lines, dances, and songs. Before the show I even said I wished I’d never been cast as Joe Casey, which I regret now, because the first show went amazingly well, which was a huge relief.’
‘Mr Gleadall and Mrs Summers really helped my confidence. They believed in me from the start and always made sure I was on top of things. So I have to thank them from the bottom of my heart.’