The Southreport

This week on The SouthReport, I sit down with our Head of Drama and Musical Director, Ms Taylah Wright — a storyteller whose path to the stage has been anything but ordinary. From growing up in Melbourne, to completing her schooling here on the Gold Coast, to earning a coveted place at NIDA, Taylah has built a career shaped by courage, creativity, and a deep love of performance.

After stepping from the world of professional training into the classroom, she has become a driving force behind Drama at TSS, inspiring boys to take risks, find their voice, and embrace the magic of the arts.

And today, she joins us just 24 hours out from opening night of her first production at TSS, Crazy For You. With the lights being focused, the costumes pressed, and the cast buzzing with energy, we talk about what she’s learned on the other side of the camera and the stage lights — the challenges, the surprises, and the joy of bringing a musical to life.

It’s a conversation about passion, perseverance, and the power of the arts in a boys’ school community.

This week on The SouthReport, I sit down with our Head of Drama and Musical Director, Ms Taylah Wright — a storyteller whose path to the stage has been anything but ordinary. From growing up in Melbourne, to completing her schooling here on the Gold Coast, to earning a coveted place at NIDA, Taylah has built a career shaped by courage, creativity, and a deep love of performance.

After stepping from the world of professional training into the classroom, she has become a driving force behind Drama at TSS, inspiring boys to take risks, find their voice, and embrace the magic of the arts.

And today, she joins us just 24 hours out from opening night of her first production at TSS, Crazy For You. With the lights being focused, the costumes pressed, and the cast buzzing with energy, we talk about what she’s learned on the other side of the camera and the stage lights — the challenges, the surprises, and the joy of bringing a musical to life.

It’s a conversation about passion, perseverance, and the power of the arts in a boys’ school community.

For Episode 5 on the Southreport, we are joined by Anthony Petrie, teacher, mentor, coach, family man, and former NBL forward with more than 260 professional games to his name.

Anthony brings a rare blend of elite sporting experience and genuine care for the boys and his influence is felt across classrooms, courts, and the everyday rhythm of TSS life.

It was a pleasure to sit down and have a conversation with one of life's genuinely good men.

For Episode 5 on the Southreport, we are joined by Anthony Petrie, teacher, mentor, coach, family man, and former NBL forward with more than 260 professional games to his name.

Anthony brings a rare blend of elite sporting experience and genuine care for the boys and his influence is felt across classrooms, courts, and the everyday rhythm of TSS life.

It was a pleasure to sit down and have a conversation with one of life's genuinely good men.

For Episode 5 on the Southreport, we are joined by Anthony Petrie, teacher, mentor, coach, family man, and former NBL forward with more than 260 professional games to his name.

Anthony brings a rare blend of elite sporting experience and genuine care for the boys and his influence is felt across classrooms, courts, and the everyday rhythm of TSS life.

It was a pleasure to sit down and have a conversation with one of life's genuinely good men.

This week, while we were visiting PNG, I sat down with one of the most passionate TSS person in the business. Leigh attend TSS for his entire schooling and has since joined the teaching staff as a long-serving head of House and now Acting Dean of Boarding. He is a coach, mentor, motivator, husband, dad, but is best known for his passion and experience in fishing. Enjoy the blood, sweat and Leigh's tears of episode 4 of the Southreport.

In Episode 2, I sit down with staff member and Old Boy, Dan Trollope. After a freak diving incident that left Dan riding a wheel chair for the age of 18, Dan talks about accident, bouncing back to represent his country in wheel chair racing, marriage, further health challenges, and offers his advice to current boys and parents at TSS.

This episode, I sit down with Director of Sport, Mr Bryan Hain. We talk all things sport, growing up in the UK, moving to Hong Kong with his family, watching boys grow up at TSS, 'crossing the road' from school to life, and how to keep growing and evolving in whatever you do.

We also have a little game of elimination to establish Mr Hain's best TSS athlete of all-time...

The drama students many years ago requested we do a podcast for TSS called The Southreport. We only recorded one episode back then, but in our 125th year we have resurrected the podcast to interview some of the people that make our school special.