A small country community has set the stage for a big school production that will keep a late teacher's love of theatre alive. Hawkesdale P12 are ready to lift the curtain on its production The Tempest Reimagined from November 29 to December 1. The adaptation of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest will be performed by students and teachers at the Hawkesdale Memorial Hall which holds a special place in the heart of the community. Rose Gunn, a teacher at the Hawkesdale school for nearly 40 years, produced and performed countless plays and comedic operas at the hall before her retirement in 2002. Ms Gunn died in mid 2023. Hawkesdale P12 teacher Florence Rooney said it had been "magic" having a connection with Ms Gunn and her brother John who for years did lighting design and production for the school. She said the production was a "really special event" involving not only students and teachers but the whole community. "It's a big community affair with the art and design teachers, led by Denise Regan and including Megan Russell and Callena Vaughan, making all of our amazing scenery and props entirely out of upcycled or recycled materials," Ms Rooney said. "Our Hands On Learning students, led by artisan teachers Jarad Hoeksema and Shannon Drysdale, have made a wooden pirate ship which will be on display in the foyer. "One of our parents has spent hours pulling together costumes from the production of years past, and our tickets and programs have been designed by education support staff member Anne-Maree Huglin." All of the school's primary classes will be involved in chorus movement numbers, and speaking roles are held by a "stellar cast" of upper primary and secondary students, Ms Rooney said. The English teacher also has an acting role in the show. She said some of the senior students had memorised hundreds of lines despite it being their first or biggest production, including Year 11 student Dekota Habel, who will perform the role of Prospero, and Aiden Thomson, year 10, performing Caliban. "The lines Dekota has had to remember are just incredible," Ms Rooney said. "Aiden similarly has a lot of lines and I can just see that every time he performs, it habits the character a bit more. His body starts to change shape and his voice changes. "Their acting skills are just thriving." Dekota has been involved in four school productions and this year will be her first major lead role. "This year I finally get to play the lead and I'm happy with that and I'm also happy to have a feeling of power when I play Prospero," she said. "Personally I like how you can embody the character you are playing and be someone else even if it's just for a night." The Tempest Reimagined will be performed with both modern and Shakespearean text adapted by playwright Rosemary Johns, with a poem shared with the permission of Gunditjmara elder and poet Uncle Jim Berg. There will be a lighthouse, a royal court and references to the history of their country. Ms Johns and Carloyn Bock returned to the small south-west town to produce bespoke scripts for the school and transform the hall into a theatre for their sixth production with Hawkesdale. Previous performances have included The Golden Fleece (2011), A Winter's Tale (2012), Helen of Troy (2014), The White Mouse (2016 and A Midsummer Night's Dream (2018). The Tempest Reimagined will be the school's first production since before the coronavirus pandemic. A matinee show will be held at Hakesdale Memorial Hall at 1pm on Wednesday, November 29, followed by 7pm shows on November 30 and December 1.