When the curtain went up at Jerilderie Public School, every one of the school’s 12 students had a role to play.

From learning lines and performing on stage to managing scene changes and bringing local history to life, the students spent an entire term preparing Back to Jerilderie – A Journey Through Time; a whole-school production celebrating the people and stories of the Riverina town.

And with a teaching principal, two part-time classroom teachers and a small team of school support staff, there was no shortage of jobs behind the scenes.

The school community took on everything from directing and costume design to props, backstage management and rehearsals, with staff working alongside students to turn an ambitious idea into two performances on Wednesday 16 September.

But this wasn't just any school production.

The students were telling the story of Jerilderie itself.

Audiences were taken back through the town's history, meeting characters including Sir John Monash and Ned Kelly, before returning to modern-day Jerilderie and celebrating the local people who continue to shape the community.

For Teaching Principal and production director, Laura Keech, putting on a show about the town for an audience, who knows its history intimately, came with some pressure.

“There was definitely some pressure in creating a production about Jerilderie for a Jerilderie audience,” Mrs Keech said.

“Our locals know their history, their people and their town incredibly well, so bringing those stories to the stage was a little nerve-racking.”

But the students and staff embraced the challenge.

Over the term, students developed their speaking and acting skills, learnt lines, rehearsed scenes and mastered the countless entrances, exits and changes needed to make the production work.

More importantly, they learnt what it takes to perform as a team.

“Watching the community beam with pride after each performance made every rehearsal, every costume change and every rewritten line completely worthwhile,” Mrs Keech said.

“It reminded us that Jerilderie isn't just a place on a map, it is the people, stories and connections that make this community so special.”

The production gave every student the chance to step into the spotlight, while also showing what can happen when a small school draws on the strength of its entire community.

For the 12 students of Jerilderie Public School, Back to Jerilderie was a chance to celebrate where they come from by becoming the storytellers of their own town.