Newark’s Magnus Church of England Academy performs Matilda the musical

Newark’s Magnus Church of England Academy students have performed Matilda the musical for their friends and families, in addition to special performances for local primary school children.

Leanne Phillips is community liaison officer at Magnus and said: “It has been five years since our last school production and Matilda was the perfect choice for our first show. Matilda is so relatable to our students, and because of the release of the new film, they were really able to delve into their characters.”

The show’s complexity meant that students had to work like a professional theatre company said Leanne.

“We have been rehearsing for seven months and what a fun filled and action-packed time it has been preparing for the show. We created our own production company; the crew created the set design and sorted the props, and we had a student working with our lighting and sound engineer. We are so impressed by their effort, enthusiasm, and dedication to the show.”

Student, Poppy Goodwin, year 7, played Matilda and said: “I am not usually nervous about performing and go to a club after school where I have gained some experience.

“I would say there might be some nerves right before a show because there have been lot of lines to learn, songs and performance pieces, and it’s a lot to remember! But I was sure that we would all do our best and we have worked very hard in rehearsals.

“I have been really looking forward to it for a while.”

Fellow student Jennifer Cragg, 7ear 10, played the role of Miss Trunchbull and said: “I found it’s been hard to focus and learn my lines fully, but it’s all been worth it.

“I have made lots of new friends while we have been rehearsing and learning the songs together, and it has been a lot of fun. I haven’t done much in the way of performing before and was quite nervous about performing in front of the primary children the most. I know from my work as a Young Cub Leader that children can be brutally honest.”

Leanne Phillips said the show’s success has led to new plans.

“We have received some incredible feedback from our audiences. We are so proud of how hard the cast and crew worked, and we are already planning our next production,” she added.

Family and friends were welcomed to one sell-out performance, and a second with only a few seats to spare. Local primary schools who enjoyed the performances were Sir Donald Bailey Academy and Barnby Road Academy.