Geelong Lutheran College has played a pivotal role in helping Lola Fry transform her childhood passion for performing into a focused career path. Through a tailored VCE program that recognised her dedication, the 18-year-old is now embarking on her first year at Patrick School of the Arts, taking a significant step toward a long and successful career as a performer.
A lifelong passion for dance
Lola Fry has been dancing for as long as she can remember. "I've been dancing my whole life," she says. Growing up, she often sacrificed social activities to pursue her love of dance. However, it wasn't until she was about 14 that she realised she wanted to turn her passion into a profession. "All my teachers saw it, all my dance teachers; I think my school teachers probably did as well: 'Oh no, you're actually interested in doing something like this.' And I was like, 'Yeah, I am, I guess, now I have to work really hard to get there,'" she recalls.
The spark that ignited her dream
Lola's journey toward a performing arts career was catalysed by her experiences at Geelong Lutheran College. She first studied drama in year 7 with teacher Steve Gollasch, now the college's drama faculty leader. But it was her participation in the school musical High School Musical that inspired her to take drama classes outside of school. In year 10, she was understudy for the role of Miss Honey in the 2023 production of Matilda. When the lead actress couldn't perform one night, Lola was given just 20 minutes' notice to step in. She pulled it off successfully and later reprised the role, saying, "After that performance and that whole experience, I loved that feeling of getting in there and doing it and just sort of being thrown into that."
A tailored VCE for a budding performer
Recognising Lola's commitment, Geelong Lutheran College adapted her curriculum to accommodate her intensive training schedule. From year 11, she had one fewer timetabled subject at school because of her elite training outside school hours. For her VCE, Lola chose English, literature, VET dance, drama, and music. "I could have done a math or science because I'd always done really well at science surprisingly, not so much math, but I was like, 'No, I'm going to take my school and the opportunity that I have here and take that and study what I want to do at school and outside of school so I just get that all the time,'" she explains.
By year 12, Lola was juggling singing lessons, private acting coaching, and daily dance classes from 4pm or 5pm until 9pm. Despite the demanding schedule, she found joy in her studies. "It was really fun. I found it fun because I wasn't too stressed about meeting a specific grade, and I was just like, 'I'm going to do the best that I can do with the time that I have and what I'm willing to give all my subjects,'" she says.
Overcoming challenges and achieving success
Lola's dedication paid off. She was accepted by all four institutions she applied to and chose Patrick School of the Arts in Melbourne. She also auditioned for the VCE Top Class showcase, and although she didn't make the final cut, being considered one of the top performing students in Victoria for drama was a great honour. Reflecting on her first term at Patrick, she says, "It's been a challenging and eye-opening first term but I can already see changes and how I'm developing as a performer. Learning from the industry experts is my favourite part. Soaking in their knowledge and advice is helping me grow."
Looking ahead
Lola's ambition is clear: "I want to be a performer. I want to be on stage. I want to be dancing around and singing." She will appear in Geelong this September and October in Theatre of the Damned's production of Ride the Cyclone. Her story is a testament to how a supportive school environment can help students pursue their dreams, much like Geelong Lutheran College did for former student Angus Hastings, who was drafted into the AFL in 2023.
