HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL A sell-out success
Even eight shows were not enough to satisfy all those who wanted to see High School Musical , the junior school production which ran in November 2017 at the Merivale Lane Theatre.
It was every actor’s dream outcome – more patrons than performances. The collaboration between College and Rangi Ruru Girls’ School saw a keen group of drama enthusiasts auditioning for plum roles in the timeless story about a group of teenagers forging their own identities while building relationships, exploring new interests and dealing with other people’s expectations of them. A total of 13 Year 9 College boys were involved, including two on drama scholarships who won their roles after auditioning like everyone else, says Assistant Director of Drama Robyn Peers, who acted as production administrator and key liaison person for the show.
“It really was a dream show, with every seat filled for the entire season. We’ve worked with Rangi Ruru many times before and when they approached us this time, we knew it would be great fun for everyone. We also discovered that we had lots of talent among our new juniors, which is great news for the future.” College had already presented a Year 10 production, Treasure Island , in Term 1, 2017. High School Musical called on the young actors who took its lead roles to be able to demonstrate the “triple threat” – to be nimble on their feet, picking up the dance moves quickly, to be able to sing in tune, and to be able to act.
“There were no problems on any of those fronts, with the boys taking to it all very quickly and professionally. The staff at Rangi Ruru did a phenomenal job coaching them in singing and dancing and for some of our boys, who weren’t used to dancing or had done very little formal dance before, this turned them into a cohesive dancing unit – a credit to themselves and the show.” Directed by Hannah Clarkson, choreographed by Kirsty Bell, and with musical direction from Henare Kaa, High School Musical featured Jamie Barr as Troy Bolton, captain of the basketball team; Nathan Orchard as Ryan Evans, vice president of the Drama Club; Freddie Sudell as Jack Scott, the
College Issue 34 2018
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