“Mary Poppins”
Magic in Every Spoonful of Sugar
By Cheryl Watson
For two sold out weekends in early November 2015, “Mary Poppins the Musical” thrilled
audiences on the St. Francis Catholic High School stage. Over one hundred students were
involved in bringing this classic story to life by singing and dancing on stage, playing in the
orchestra and working technical magic behind the scenes. Not only students but also parent
volunteers worked alongside our production team helping build the many set pieces and props
that brought the audience to their feet every single performance. O ur dedicated parents also
became the “Mary Poppins” flight crew and after specialized training they pulled the ropes and
maneuvered the special apparatus keeping both Mary Poppins and the chimney sweep Bert
safely in the sky during the flight sequences. “Mary Poppins the Musical” was one of the most
popular shows in SF Theatre history!
As the theatre director for the past thirty-one years I have had the pleasure of collaborating
and working with hundreds of students, parents and staff in showcasing the talents of our cast
and crew and providing an outlet for their creative artistry. Since the fall of 2004 we have enjoyed performing in our beautiful theatre. The Arts building provided us a home for the visual
and performing arts. For me this was a dream come true.
Since I first came to this campus, I knew I was given a gift. The young performers I met
had the same passion and love of the arts that I see in our students today. They performed on
the cafeteria stage with all the joy and exuberance that our “Mary Poppins” cast showed this
year. We enlisted the help of the entire St. Francis community in bringing these shows to life.
When we needed more space we moved to the 24th Street Theatre in Curtis Park and performed there for eight years. We would practice in the cafeteria or gym and then move to the
theatre the week before the show. We jokingly talked about “going on the road!” Those shows
once again delighted audiences and gave our students a theatre home and a place to flex their
artistic talents. Over the years we have been quite creative in finding ways and spaces to practice
our art and keep the arts alive on our campus and in our hearts.
I believe the astounding success of “Mary Poppins” is a thank you to all the visual and
performing artists who worked so hard to make the arts an important part of the St. Francis
Catholic High School experience. The work of our students today is part of this tradition of
artistic excellence.
Cheryl Watson is celebrating her 32nd year as a member of
the St. Francis Performing Arts faculty and is proud to serve
as the department chairperson. A theatre graduate of CSU
Sacramento she continued her performance studies with The
Theatre of Light in Los Angeles and most recently studied
Shakespeare with The Globe Theatre Education Academy,
London. Ms. Watson has performed or directed for a variety
of area theatres and served on the theatre faculty at American
River College for eleven years. Ms. Watson has been nominated
for over twenty “Ellys” and has received ten awards for direction
and script adaptation. A professional and personal highlight was working with the
Sisters of Mercy in helping stage their centennial celebration at the historic Eagle Theatre
in Old Sacramento. Through social media Ms. Watson has connected with many former
students who tell her they still love the theatre! This is music to her ears!
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