Sound, lighting and operators for Perth school end of year showcases and performing arts nights. Dance, music, drama. Every act, every transition, every cue.
Last updated: 13 May 2026 by Enchant Entertainment
A school showcase is the most technically demanding event on the school calendar. Forty acts, forty transitions. Every one has to be clean.
A school end of year showcase brings every performing arts department together on one stage. Dance runs first. Then the choir. Then the Year 10 band. Then a drama scene. Then back to dance. Each act has different sound levels, different lighting colours, different microphone setups. Between each act, everything needs to change in under thirty seconds while the next performers walk on.
Transitions are where showcases live or die. A clean changeover is invisible. A rough one makes the audience uncomfortable, and the next act starts on the back foot.
The challenge, every showcase
Enchant Entertainment is a Perth family run business that has been delivering AV for school showcases and performing arts nights since 2018. Based in Kwinana, we service schools across the entire Perth metro area. Our team reviews your running order, identifies each act’s AV requirements, and arrives at your venue ready to run a technical rehearsal that catches every timing issue before the audience walks in.
Pricing has two parts. Operators at $90 per hour (4 hour minimum) and equipment from $300 depending on your rig. A small single operator showcase lands around $660. A full school performing arts night with two operators and a complete rig typically costs between $1,500 and $2,500. You only pay for the gear your program needs.
A clean four step process for your school showcase or performing arts night.
Send your showcase date, venue and running order. Quote returned within 48 hours.
We review each act’s AV needs, confirm rig and operator count, and visit the venue if needed.
Every act is sound checked, lighting scenes programmed and transition timing confirmed.
Operator runs the full showcase. Clean transitions every act. Pack down after the curtain call.
From a single class performance night to a full school performing arts spectacular, we scale to your program.
The big one. All performing arts departments on one night. Dance, music, drama, choir and instrumental ensembles across the full school. Multiple acts, complex transitions, high family attendance.
Band, choir, instrumental ensembles and soloists sharing a single concert night. Dynamic range is the challenge: a delicate acoustic guitar soloist followed by a full stage band. Each act needs its own mix.
Back to back dance acts across multiple year groups and styles. Music playback at consistent levels, fast cue changes between tracks, stage lighting that shifts colour and intensity for each routine.
Short scenes, monologues, duologues and ensemble pieces. Clear wireless mics for all student performers. Lighting that sets the mood for each piece. Designed for the PAC or theatre space your drama department calls home.
A curated showcase of Year 12 student talent as part of the valedictory week program. Often the most polished showcase of the year. Higher production value, longer running time, personal significance for families.
Two or more schools sharing a single showcase night. Larger audience, longer running order, more acts, more wireless mics and a bigger rig. We scale the equipment and operator count to the program.
Every school showcase AV hire includes these as standard.
Add ons available
Second operator for complex shows · Foldback monitors for performers · Additional wireless microphones · Lapel and headset mics · Projector and screen · Haze machine · Follow spot · LED uplighting · Live recording
Two-part pricing. Operators at $90/hr plus equipment from $300. You only pay for what your program needs.
A small showcase needs less gear than a full school performing arts spectacular. Two-part pricing means you are never paying for equipment your event does not need.
All samples include delivery, setup and packdown. Final quote based on your specific running order and venue.
The right rig for a multi-act showcase where no two acts sound or look the same.
Powered speakers sized to your venue. Front of house mix optimised for the dynamic range of a showcase: quiet spoken word scenes to full stage band and everything in between.
Handheld and lapel wireless mics for soloists, MCs and drama performers. Each mic is individually set during the tech rehearsal so quiet singers carry and projecting actors never peak.
High quality music playback for dance backing tracks, instrumental accompaniment and interval music. Consistent volume across all acts. Every track level set in the tech rehearsal.
Scene presets programmed per act during the tech rehearsal. Warm wash for drama, colour chase for dance, focused spots for soloists. Transitions between acts in under two seconds.
Stage monitors so performers can hear themselves and their accompaniment. Critical for vocal soloists and ensemble pieces. Reduces nerves and improves performance quality significantly.
Digital mixing console with per-act scene recall. Every act’s levels saved during the tech rehearsal. On show night the operator recalls the scene as each act starts rather than mixing from scratch.
For a small showcase with under ten acts and simple lighting, one experienced operator can handle everything. For a full school performing arts night with complex lighting changes, multiple wireless mics going in and out of play, and music playback cues all happening at once, splitting the roles between two operators is not a luxury, it is a practical necessity.
The transition between a dance act (music only, coloured lighting) and a vocal soloist (wireless mic, spotlight, piano accompaniment) requires four or five things to change simultaneously. An operator changing the lighting is not watching the mic level. An operator bringing the mic up is not pressing the lighting scene. With two operators, these happen in parallel. The transition takes two seconds instead of ten.
If your show has more than twelve to fifteen acts, mixed performing arts types or complex music cues, ask us to quote for two operators. The cost difference is usually $360 to $450 across the night. The quality difference is significant.
Get your quoteEverything a WA school requires before allowing contractors on site.
All staff hold current WA Working With Children Check cards. Documentation on request.
Certificate of currency with every booking. Meets all WA Department of Education requirements.
All electrical equipment regularly inspected, tagged and tested to Australian safety standards.
Invoiced after the event. No deposit required for school bookings. Suits school purchase order processes.
A school showcase is not just a concert. It is forty acts, forty transitions and an audience full of parents with cameras. We make sure every moment lands.
Scene recall and preprogrammed cues mean transitions happen in seconds. A dance act ending and a vocal soloist starting should feel like a single flowing program, not a technical reshuffle.
Our team has run showcases ranging from five-act class presentations to sixty-act whole-school performing arts spectaculars. We review your running order carefully and plan the rig to match.
Inconsistent volume between acts is the most common complaint from showcase audiences. We set levels for every act during the tech rehearsal and recall them precisely on show night.
Family owned and Kwinana based since 2018. Fast access to all southern suburbs, Rockingham, Fremantle and the CBD. More availability through the busy Term 4 showcase season.
From first enquiry through to the curtain call, you deal with the same person. Easy to reach in the lead-up to showcase week when the performing arts coordinator needs answers fast.
A wireless mic dropping out mid-act is every coordinator’s nightmare. We carry spare mics, cables and a backup mixer to every showcase. Problems are fixed between acts, not during them.
Common terms you will hear when planning a school showcase or performing arts night.
The full list of acts in order, with approximate timing for each. The running order is the most important document for planning showcase AV. It tells us how many microphone handovers, how many music cues and how many lighting changes the operator needs to handle.
A feature on digital mixers and lighting desks that saves every setting for an act and recalls it instantly. Means the operator presses one button as each act starts rather than manually adjusting multiple controls. Enables fast, clean transitions.
The rehearsal dedicated to the technical elements of the show, rather than the performance itself. Each act runs through their opening and closing moments, microphone levels are set, music cues tested and lighting scenes confirmed. Problems caught here do not appear on show night.
Stage monitors pointed back at the performers so they can hear themselves and their accompaniment. Separate from the front of house PA that the audience hears. Important for vocalists and any performer relying on a backing track or live accompaniment.
The final bow of all performers at the end of the show. Usually accompanied by music. Our operator manages the music level and lighting for the curtain call so it lands as a satisfying conclusion rather than trailing off awkwardly.
The PA system and mix position facing the audience. The operator sits at front of house and controls what the audience hears. Keeping a consistent and appropriate volume across all acts (quiet drama scenes to loud bands) is the core front of house skill for a showcase.
Lighting that covers the full performance area in even colour. The default lighting state between more specific lighting cues. A clean stage wash ensures all performers are visible regardless of their position on stage.
The setup phase before a show, when equipment is brought in, rigged, cabled and tested. For a showcase, bump in happens in the afternoon before the technical rehearsal. Bump out is the reverse, packing everything down after the curtain call.
Our family run team is based in Kwinana and services schools and performing arts venues across the entire Perth metro area.
Send us your date, venue and running order. We will have a quote back within 48 hours.
Or email info@enchantent.com.au · ABN 55 936 767 411