Our 2026 Primary musical, Jonah’s Druthers, trades stormy seas for the Aussie outback. Join us for a funny, moving retelling of Jonah’s story about second chances, courage and a God who doesn’t give up on people.
Jonah’s Druthers – a Little Big Stuff Music production – is trading stormy seas for red dust and telegraph wires in the Brisbane Adventist College Primary musical in 2026! Imagine an Australian outback spaghetti western world, and a funny retelling of Jonah’s story that still lands on what matters most: second chances, courage, and a God who doesn’t give up on anyone.
A Good-Book tale, Aussie bush style
You’re invited to “hold onto yer horses” and get ready for a true-blue tale from the Bible – in a way you’ve never heard it before! Primary students will be trading in the high seas for a hot, hard Australian landscape. In this version of the familiar story, Jonah is sending and receiving telegraphs from the Living God until the message comes through loud and clear: head to that “dirty, rotten, flea-bitten foreign city called Nineveh.” Does Jonah jump at the chance? Nope. He would rather jump on a west‑bound stagecoach going in the opposite direction! And this is where the trouble starts.
Red-dust pop art
Visually, the team is leaning towards a bold, 2D pop art aesthetic: strong blocks of red, yellow and orange, and a skyline that feels harsh and beautiful all at once. Digital backdrops will carry enormous, eye‑catching images – so the audience can’t help but look – while the stage itself stays open enough to let whole grades blow on and off like silent dust storms.
The team behind the scenes
This show has a familiar creative crew. Jessica Cameron is back as creative director and choreographer, working with drama director Shanyn Cantrell, producer Gina Littlewood and music director Lisa Lawson. Between Jessica and Shannon, they also shoulder costume and set design. It’s a lot of moving pieces, but they describe it as “a big job, but exciting,” and say they’re “always so thrilled” to be invited back to work with BAC’s primary students.
The Secondary Design Technology department helps build props and costumes. Sound, lighting and a lot of the visual magic sit with longtime collaborator Dwayne Hedges, whom the team calls a gift: “We’re very grateful that we have Dwayne in our corner… he knows what he’s doing and knows us so well.”
Costumes and cowboys
Every major role – about 18 principal and supporting characters – will be in full costume designed by the creative team. The wider cast receives simple costume briefs to take home, based on clothes families are likely to have already. For past shows, that has meant small extras like 2D printed bow ties for the last diner-themed musical. This time, we can probably expect more telegraph‑office and outback touches: boots, vests, sun‑bleached shirts and a scattering of bush hats, all carrying that easy “country” flavour.
Finding the heart of the story
Rehearsals have just started. Jessica describes this part of the process as “unravelling the heart of the story.” As roles are finalised and scenes take shape, warmth, joy and “the specialness of the story” begin to surface. In one early rehearsal, she asked, “What do you guys know about the story of Jonah?” A Year 4 student answered simply: “It’s about God giving Jonah a second chance.”
That’s exactly the point. Jonah’s second chance is matched by the second chance God offers Nineveh. For Jessica, the whole story is “multilevel.” God shows that He is not just for the people of Israel, He is for all people – Ninevites included! That broad, generous mercy emerges like the blue sky once the dust settles.
Jonah, Swifty and a second chance people
The plot is carried by five main characters who stitch the scenes together, with another 13 characters riding in and out. At the centre is Jonah, joined by his wise guy sidekick Swifty, a telegraph operator with a practical streak. Jessica is especially fond of Swifty, who becomes the steady voice on the sidelines as Jonah rides waves of doubt. “I don't want to go to Nineveh,” he says one moment; “Maybe I should go to Nineveh,” the next.
Swifty is the quiet, spiritual counsellor who doesn’t grandstand, but keeps nudging Jonah back toward what he’s been asked to do. It’s a friendship that holds the show together, giving younger performers a clear picture of what gentle, faithful encouragement can look like.
From holier-than-thou to humble messenger
Jonah’s character arc is one the team is keen to explore with students. He begins with “a little bit of an attitude.” He does not want to “stoop” to visiting Nineveh, a place he sees as broken and bent towards harm. As he travels, he is swallowed, spat out, and sent again, and in the meantime, his attitude slowly shifts.
By the end, Jonah is carrying a message that God is offering Nineveh a second chance as well. The outback framing makes room for humour and play, but underneath it, the students are absorbing messages about grace, stubbornness, and what happens when someone finally does the thing they’ve been running from.
Every child on stage
One hallmark of our Primary musicals is that every student is involved. Each class learns its own song, which carries part of the story forward. They may not always know where their scene fits during the rehearsal phase, but when it all comes together, Jessica says it’s “really cool seeing the look of accomplishment on their faces” as they spot their piece in the bigger whole.
This approach relies on “a lot of trust in the creative process, in the people who are in charge, and in the big picture.” Even so, she is convinced it’s “the best way to do creative arts in a school context.” A school show, Jessica says, is “not about making money, or looking the best, or competition.” Instead, it’s about “creating together and having a common goal” – which also happens to be one of the reasons she keeps saying “yes” when asked. “BAC is a special school,” she adds. “I don’t do this for anyone.”
Play, not perfection
For parents whose children feel nervous about stepping onto the stage, Jessica’s message is uncomplicated. “This is not about perfection,” she says. “It’s about performance. It’s about play. It’s about being part of something that’s bigger than us.” She encourages students not to worry about what everyone else is doing, but instead: “know what your job is and what you’re meant to sing and where you’re meant to be.”
“That kind of simplifies things,” she explains. “Just remember what you need to do and where you need to go, and have fun being part of that.” She believes performance draws on something that comes very naturally to children. Singing, dancing and pretending are all forms of play – a chance to “be someone else and do something else and tell a story.” Somewhere along the line, adults often lose that easy playfulness. Jonah’s Druthers gives BAC’s primary students – and their families – a chance to pick it up again, boots and all.
Performances are on 28–29 August in BAC’s Multi‑Purpose Centre. Get your tickets here.
