The junior musical production of Bugsy Malone at the end of 2015, a co-production between Christ’s College and Rangi Ruru, was a sell-out success, with extra shows added to cater for the demand for tickets.
Drama Director David Chambers says Bugsy Malone is a classic play for young teenagers to perform as it was written specifically for actors of that age group. Set in the Prohibition era, the actors play two rival gangs who bumble their way through life, love and violence, finally coming to realise they are better off working alongside each other than fighting. The production involves the use of splurge guns, a “new’’ type of weapon one gang had discovered that shoots custard pie foam instead of bullets. Producer Robin Peers says, “Because it was written as a film, there were a lot of quick changes of scene which, with a cast of 60 on a small stage, offered some interesting challenges. “The use of shaving foam and water from the splurge guns also meant it was the messiest show I have ever been involved with. We had to work out how to clean up the stage as we went and also how to actually use a can of shaving foam so it could come out of a gun and squirt up to three metres.
“However drama is all about problem-solving, so we looked it up on YouTube, and sure enough, there was someone who, very earnestly, showed us how to use shaving foam properly. Problem solved,’’ she says. Mr Chambers adds, “At the end of the production, I said to the boys that if they had been one of the people who had helped solve a problem, to have found a solution to a challenge whether it was theatrical, technical or organisational, then they were the sort of people who would thrive in the industry.’’ A further challenge was bringing together a 16-piece combined school orchestra of Year 9 and 10 students in the limited space in the Old Boys’ Theatre. Solution. Put them on a platform above the main stage where the audience can see them and the actors can hear them. Zac Matson, Year 9, who played one of the gangsters, says solving the problems was great fun. “We all had to do our bit – if something wasn’t going right, we
had to work out how to make it go right. The play was very fast moving so we had to find ways to change the scenery and wipe up the floor as we left the stage.’’ Zac says he enjoyed the atmosphere having the Rangi Ruru girls in the cast and felt it was good to make new friends, especially as they all had the production in common and it was easy to find something to talk about. He appreciated what he had learned about singing and acting, and looked forward to being involved in future College productions.
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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