Drama at BHS
Shrek the Musical
T
his year’s production of Shrek the Musical was a tribute to the depth of talent presently at BHS, both on and off the stage.
If there was ever an ensemble performance this was it, with much required of the Secondary actors, singers and dancers – 46 roles in all! Often on stage together, the Fairytale Characters and Far Far Away Characters delivered lines, sang solos and choruses and performed choreographed dance routines. Of course, the main characters had a role to play too. Anchored, once again, by the wonderful singing of Zoe O’Connor ’18, as Princess Fiona (her final performance at BHS), and the comedic command of both Maya Luthi ’23, as Donkey, and Sion Symonds ’18, as Lord Farquaad. Cassandra Furtado ‘18 also delivered a polished lead performance as the surly but lovable Shrek. The audience was treated to a thoroughly funny and high quality production that was, as Technical Director, Jane (Hammond) Thorpe ’87, P25, pointed out in her programme notes, “entirely student run from the lights to the sound to the backstage crew.” These “behind-the-scenes” contributors often go unrecognised, so Torchbearer decided to learn more about three aspects of the production that were instrumental to its success: costumes, choreography and building the Dragon. These roles all required a significant time commitment, creative and technical skills and lots of research.
WHAT TO WEAR? In a production with so many individual
characters, Shrek proved particularly challenging for the costume department. Head of Costumes, Brianna Correia ’18, a veteran of last year’s Anything Goes, says many of the school’s costumes are repurposed from year-to-year, which means lots of creativity is required, along with sewing skills and general “clothing maintenance”. “We also borrow from dance studios, or other people,” she explains. “For the main characters, like Shrek or Donkey, we ordered the costumes, as they were very character- specific.
“During the play, things rip, tear or stain on
a regular basis, so having the skills to solve these problems is crucial.”
14 Torchbearer Spring 2018
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