MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL!
By Kristy Wang and Lumin MacGowan. Grade 6.
Did you know that back in the olden days, people called movies talking pictures? You can learn more about this because this year’ s middle school musical is ….
Singin’ in the Rain JR!!
This movie is an old, hilarious film made in the 1950’ s about two movie stars, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, stars of Hollywood. But that all changed when the movie,“ The Jazz Singer," came out as a talking picture. This caused commotion, as everyone became competitive to make a talking picture. After the release, Don falls in love with the actress, Kathy Seldon, but unfortunately, Lina is incredibly jealous. Don has an idea to make The Duelling Cavalier, the movie that they are currently working on, a musical. Don uses Kathy to voice-over for Lina since he doesn’ t want Lina’ s voice to be criticized by the audience, as it is super nasal and unpleasant. We can’ t say much, as we don’ t want to spoil it for you. Watch the middle school musical to find out!
This year, there are many people participating in the musical. This year, we have Skylar Li in grade 7S as Don Lockwood. The role of Kathy is played by Emma Gunn, grade 6C. Evie Seccombe as Cosmo Brown, and Isla Szigeti as the lady with the squeaky voice, Lina Lamont, both in grade 7. These are just the top four roles. There are so many more students involved in this year’ s musical: 23 people in the ensemble, and 40 people in the core cast. That is 63 people in total!
Another important role in putting together this amazing musical is the teachers! Ms. Hare, Ms. Kim, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Fitch, Ms. Parasiers, and Ms. Robichaud are the teachers involved in rehearsals. They help the cast stay focused, work on lines, and most importantly, send out memorization homework. Ms. Kim is a huge part of helping the songs go smoothly and in character. Ms. Taylor often works with the main cast( Lina Lamont, Kathy Seldon, and Don Lockwood), but also is a part of managing the acting of the whole cast. Ms. Robichaud stays with the cast during rehearsals for support and encouragement. Finally, this could not be possible without Ms. Hare. She directs the rehearsals, keeping everything going smoothly and efficiently, and also decides which musicals are every year, alongside Ms. Taylor!
Each week, students meet in the foyer and are free to eat their snacks for needed energy. Afterwards, a script check takes place to ensure that everyone can fully participate in the rehearsal. Before the cast moves from the foyer to the theatre, they do a quick dance warm-up that is heavily inspired by the 1930s. These dance moves are often shown in the musical’ s choreography. Then, students travel to the theatre, ready to sing, dance, and act! They start singing with their beautiful voices and practice choreography. Some main cast members work individually, while the ensemble and others have their own dances and songs together. In the middle of rehearsal, a break takes place so that the cast can refresh and have more energy and enthusiasm. At the end, homework is sent out, including a memorization chart along with it. Students have to memorize the needed songs confidently for the next rehearsal so that they can be ready to perform for everyone after spring break!
The songs from Singin’ in the Rain JR are: Fit as a Fiddle, All I do is Dream of You, Make‘ Em Laugh, Lucky Star, You Were Meant for Me, Moses Supposes, Moses Reprise( Part 1), Moses Reprise( Part 2), Moses Reprise( Part 3), Good Morning, Singin’ in the Rain, Lina’ s Film Would You, Kathy’ s Film Would You, What’ s Wrong with Me, Broadway Melody, Lina’ s Would You, Lucky Star( Reprise), and finally, Bows. The middle school musical is so excited to share all these songs with the Junior School as well as parents!
All of this hard work will be put together to make one musical that is happening in the last week of April. The exact dates are April 29th( one matinee and one evening performance) and April 30th( also one matinee and one evening performance). The whole Junior School has two chances to see the whole musical, and there are two other performances for the parents to see. Musical rehearsals are going so well, making huge progress every Tuesday and Thursday. The cast and teachers are all so excited to share what they have prepared for everyone. We hope to see you there!
PUBLIC SPEAKING
By Claire Huang and Prabhkirat Makh. Grade 5.
Hello everybody, today we are going to learn more about the people who were in Public Speaking. We will get to hear how they felt about their experience, and some of the process they went through to prepare for the event.
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