From the 11th to the 13th of February, St Philomena’s Catholic High School for Girls presented a spectacular rendition of the musical ‘The Sound of Music’. The performance was directed by the wonderful drama and music department teachers. St. Philomena students also took part in the creation of the musical, not just through acting, but also behind the scenes and with the band.
All showings between the three days were performed amazingly and with great passion which could be seen in the acting, the music and the stage managing. The lead, who played Maria, was Holly Robertson who is a current year 13 student at St Phil's. She acted with great energy that kept the audience captivated with the story. In fact, all of the cast kept the audience engaged and entertained throughout the play from the musical numbers to the interesting story line. The band also played a significant role in bringing the production to life and kept the audience entranced with each piece, both as accompaniment to the singers and to help keep the audience entertained during set changes.
Aside from the cast, there were many students helping out behind the scenes as well. All props and backdrops were all hand made by students which is astonding with all the details put in them. The stage managing crew also did an amazing job helping out backstage, with scene transitions and during the intervals. The school was able to raise a lot of money through their pampers, created from contributions from the cast, bought by the raffle tickets. Not to forget, the tech crew at the back of the venue, who did their best to keep the production running smoothly despite difficulties.
There are numerous reasons why students are so engaged with the school productions each year from the love of being on stage to just wanting to try something new. Head girl, Amelia Heasley, took part in all the productions since starting at the high school in 2014. She stated that she joined production each year due to loving the arts and is a great expereince to have especially since she wants to start a career in theatre. Amelia was part of the production this year as part of the chorus. She said she joined the production this year as she wanted to ‘learn more about rehersals and the way a production comes together whilst spending time with friends’.
As you can see, school productions are a great way of bringing a school community together and is a spectacular show to witness. Try and get your school involved in a production either making one or seeing one. It will be an experience you won’t forget.
Written by
Francesca Bernardez,
St. Philomena’s Catholic High School for Girls
