In week 3, Wattle Grove Primary School students were provided an opportunity to demonstrate, yet again, their diverse and extraordinary talents at the Arts Festival held on the 23rd October. Italy being a country steeped in a culture of arts that has flourished for thousands of years, the Arts Festival was an opportunity to showcase the beautiful Italian language. It was my privilege to invite a select number of students to participate in a short Italian pantomime, Cenerentola (Cinderella).
Grazie mille to the following students who gave up several lunch times to rehearse and many hours at home to learn their lines. You were all amazing and made me so very proud.
Shweta (Room 27) - as Cinderella. Shweta not only had a lot of lines to learn, she also learned the well known Disney song: A Dream is a Wish (Un Sogno e` un Desiderio) in Italian and sang like an angel. She looked absolutely stunning and was the perfect Cenerentola.
Farin (Room 29) - as the Prince. It was delightful to see Farin take on the role of the Prince. As in traditional pantomime, the prince is usually played by a female. Farin carried herself with such poise and was a truly noble prince.
Alka (Room 22) - as the Footman. Overcoming some early nerves, Alka displayed resilience and self-belief to portray her role with the perfect, regal air of confidence.
Elaha (Room 29) - as the Fairy Godmother. Complete with 'moonboot' having recently sustained a leg fracture, Elaha did not let this stop her putting in a gorgeous and graceful performance of the lovable Fairy Godmother.
Francis (Room 22) - as the Ugly Stepmother. Again adhering to the tradition of pantomime, Francis was fearless in taking on a role few would dare. He portrayed the role of the Ugly Stepmother with gusto and fierce determination. This proved necessary to keep two very unattractive 'young' ladies in line...
Nikki (Room 23), Mehrry and Janika (Room 15) as the show stealing mice and horses. What an absolute treat it was to watch these three beautiful, bright and bubbly young ladies steal the limelight from their older peers as they perfected their lines and showed discipline and 100% commitment to their small but very important roles.
Mitchell (Room 18), Alexia (Room 29) and Shreya (Room 22). Three of Wattle Grove Primary School's most promising public speakers took on the roles of the narrators. Special thanks to Shreya who volunteered to take on the role with only two or three rehearsals left and spoke so eloquently. My gratitude to the ever reliable Mitchell and to Alexia for taking on the challenging role as the Italian narrator. You are both exceptional, articulate and expressive speakers. In addition, all three narrators were on standby to 'save' their performing peers by providing prompts for any lines that may have been forgotten. They took on this additional responsibility with maturity and professionalism and certainly provided a couple of perfect and rather humorous 'saves'.
Sanj (Room 8) - Palace Nobleman. Whilst many, many students expressed interest in being a part of Cenerentola, it was unfortunately only possible to cast very few. I was so impressed, however, with the tremendous enthusiasm Sanj displayed to be a part of the show. His offer to help in any way possible, was something I could not ignore. A grateful thank you to Sanj for his commitment and for doing such a great job in a small, but important role.
Signori Sherlock e Eaves as the Ugly Stepsisters. Well, what can I say? After several budding child actors were unable to fulfill their roles, I realised it was necessary to come up with a Plan B. Just as I was about to pull my hair out, I spotted Mr. Sherlock and Mr. Eaves in the staffroom and started imagining how divinely 'ugly' they would look in a dress. Needless to say, the pair took little convincing. From the very first rehearsal, these good sports displayed acting genius. They took to their roles with femininity and girlish charm. I was left wondering if in fact, this hadn't been their first time they had donned a frock....?
A heartfelt thanks to all my wonderful cast for their tremendous commitment and dedication to the production. It was obvious from the reactions from the audience you were all phenomenal.
As with any production, no matter how big or how small, there are always others working behind the scenes to ensure its success. Cenerentola would not have come together without the tremendous help and support from Signore Queiros and Chaplyn providing assistance with props and backstage. Further, I am incredibly appreciative for the ever patient Signor Sanderson for his technical support and impeccable timing with the sound queues. Grazie, grazie mille a tutti.
No comments:
Post a Comment