The Junior Dance and Drama Showcase is set to perform on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th of December. The junior showcase is a collection of junior dance and junior drama intertwined into one spectacular show of wonder and magic. The first half will showcase an otherworldly an uplifting version of Alice in Wonderland performed by fourth form pupils. The second half will showcase a variety of solo and ensemble dance numbers, ranging in style from jazz to hip-hop, contemporary to commercial.
It has been a great opportunity for our younger performers to get involved with drama and dance and it has been helpful for many new pupils to form lasting connections and friendships through the rehearsals and performance. Hosted in our own Blake studio which has provided a lovely environment to cut their teeth and gain some fabulous invaluable experience.
We caught up with Alice in Wonderland director Miss Cubbin to give us some more information:
Why did you pick Alice in wonderland?
I loved the fact that it is fun and joyful. I didn’t want to pick a serious play for the Juniors and Alice in wonderland has some really lovely wacky characters which the pupils can have fun emphasising and playing around with. You can also immerse yourself into the bright and colourful world of wonderland and I really wanted to put on an immersive piece.
How have rehearsals been going?
The rehearsals have been going great. It has been so nice to work with all my pupils as this is my first show which I have directed as a member of staff. The Wonderful pupils have a lot of humour in themselves which they bring to rehearsal and performance.
It is lovely to see how the pupils have developed as actors. We have been rehearsing since September so now the Actors are beginning to have fun with their characters, and they have all become bigger and wackier. They have also all had a say on their characters costume. With a particular mention to Lucas Ashton for giving me a detailed description of his queen of hearts makeup and hair.
How have you tried to capture the bright and colourful world of wonderland?
I wanted a simplistic set to allow the appreciation of the costume and characters alongside stunningly colourful UV effects. Each pupil has had a say in their own costume to help bring the world of wonderland to life. We are also using a special type of projection that the school has never used before, so I am very excited for the audience to see it!
