CASTLE Rushen High School is getting set to stage a spectacular musical production.
A cast of 30 students will perform The Wiz, a re-telling of the fantasy story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz set in the context of African American culture.
It is being directed by drama and English teacher Emilie Kermode while music teacher Gareth Deakin is the musical director.
Michelle Jamieson, 14, takes on the title role of the Wiz while the other familiar lead parts are played by Adele Harris, 13, (Dorothy), Katie Holmes, 15, (Scarecrow), Matthew Unsworth, 12, (Tinman) and Melissa Walker, 12, (Lion).
Emilie said: ‘Gareth and I were both part of productions of The Wiz during our PGCE [teacher training] placements in Manchester and so this musical seemed a natural choice to stage at Castle Rushen.
‘We also relished the prospect of promoting our respective specialist subjects (drama and music) within an extra-curricular capacity, especially as the arts is such a valuable area in which students should develop.’
Rehearsals have been taking place during lunch times, after school and on the occasional Saturday since September.
‘Since Christmas we have been working tirelessly on combining the drama, vocal and musical elements – no mean feat and a lot of hard work for all the cast and crew,’ she said.
‘We cannot believe the commitment displayed by our students and colleagues and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their energy and support. We hope it’s going to be a fabulous show.’
The music will be provided by the CRHS Wiz Band, which comprises nine students and five staff and is conducted by senior education support officer Juan Wright. The costumes department is headed by design and technology teachers Lynne Pleavin and Sue Welsh and the lighting and sound crew by pupil Harry Stewart, 17. Sylvia Jarrett, teacher of modern foreign languages and drama, leads the technical team.
The show follows Dorothy, who is celebrating Thanksgiving with her family in Kansas. She is caught in a tornado while searching for her dog, Toto, and is transported to Oz, where she is informed the only way to get back home is through the assistance of the powerful Wiz in the Emerald City.
As she searches for the Wiz, she befriends others who are facing problems in life. In their quest to find the Wiz, the friends also face Evillene, the equally evil sister of Evermean, the wicked witch Dorothy inadvertently killed when she arrived in Oz.
Public performances take place on Thursday, February 9, and Friday, February 10, at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £3 for children and are available from the school reception. There will also be a matinee performance for Castle Rushen’s feeder primary schools on February 8.