Meet Some of the Cast of ‘A Night at the Musicals’
Ahead of our exciting new venture and production for students, A Night at the Musicals, which takes place in School next week, we caught up with Year 7’s Elisabeth, Year 8’s Elodie, Year 9’s George and Year 10’s Lola, to find out more about how they feel about taking part and why they love musicals.
Students from across the School will be working together, on and off the stage, producing and performing songs and scenes from some of their favourite musicals. The performances will be the results of a thrilling 72-hour intensive workshop where students will work with our Drama team, Head of Singing Miss Weston, singing teacher Miss Barnes and choreographer and OW, Kath Clements. Together they will learn and stage a full slate of dazzling musical numbers; an intense collaboration of singing and dancing showcasing our students’ raw talent and passion which promises to light up the stage!
The show will be performed in our Seckford Theatre next Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 February! If you haven’t done so already, be sure to book your tickets at ticketsource.co.uk/woodbridge-school-drama/e-dlordr.
In the meantime, let’s see what our budding young performers had to say.
Year 7’s Elisabeth
It’s incredibly exciting to be part of something so amazing, I love performing, and I’m really glad I’m going to have the opportunity to do so with my friends. My favourite musicals are probably Hamilton and Mean Girls. I love the music and creativity of Hamilton, and love the characters in Mean Girls. It’s quite a unique experience, as obviously we can only prepare so much before the 72-hour workshop, but I do a lot of dance and singing outside of School, so that will really help I’m certain. This is the first production I’ve been part of in School, and I really hope to be cast in lots more throughout my Woodbridge journey – I can’t wait for it all to start here!
Year 8’s Elodie
I haven’t been part of a School production since I was in Year 6 when I played a chimney sweep, a small part but I absolutely loved it! I’ve seen so many amazing and incredible plays at the Senior School, The Trial, Frankenstein, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, they were all brilliant, so professional, and that makes me even more excited to be part of this. I think my favourite musical has to be Mamma Mia, I’ve been lucky enough to see it on the screen and in the West End, it was so much fun and the music very catchy! In terms of preparation for A Night at the Musicals, I think I’m looking forward to the intensive workshop as much as I am to performing on the nights! Everyone in the Drama department at School is so nice and friendly, and super encouraging and supportive – it’s going to be great and I feel very lucky to be part of it.
Year 9’s George
I love being on stage and being part of any production, so I know I am going to enjoy this experience. It will be great to broaden my skills on stage – I think some of the music styles will be different to what I have been focusing on and I have never been involved with a dance production before. It will also be a great opportunity for me to work with others and make more friends in different years; I’m looking forward to spending time with other students who also like being part of a production and putting on a mega show! I think I’m most excited about the whole process – everything from rehearsing to the show nights themselves. I think it will be a great experience and will develop me as a performer. It’ll be my first production at Woodbridge School and I’m looking forward to the pre-show adrenaline buzz, the lights and the massive sense of achievement. It know it’s going to be intense and hard work as we’ll be fitting a lot into just three days, but I know I’ll enjoy every minute. I’m preparing by familiarising myself with musical songs, in terms of my own favourites and ones I hope might feature in the show, I am big fan of both Grease and The Greatest Showman, as both have an iconic storyline and amazing songs, showing diversity and brilliance that leaves an uplifting moral.
Year 10’s Lola
I’m so delighted to be a part of the A Night at the Musicals cast as it means that I’m going to be doing something I love so deeply for a whole weekend, with lots of others that all feel the same way (all while learning new things together!) In preparation I am broadening my musical knowledge by watching and singing my way through as many musicals as I can; I’m hoping that this will give me a head start when we find out the chosen musical numbers we will be performing, because of course, we won’t know until the weekend itself. My favourite musical is without a doubt Grease, the combination of music and acting is so carefully thought out, in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming but gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. Looking ahead to performing, I know this experience will not only be beneficial for me as a performer, but also as someone that just wants to have a weekend of pure fun. The experience will enrich my ability to think outside of the box with my own work (especially in my current GCSE Drama practical work). As a teenager, it will also encourage me to create friendships with others that I might not have got to know had it not been for this opportunity.
