Magnus Church of England Academy, Newark, students become cast and crew for glittering fairytale performance of Beauty and The Beast Jr
A school’s students have put on four glittering performances of a classic fairytale story.
From props, to set, to acting, Magnus Church of England Academy students have put on a production of Beauty and the Beast Jr from scratch.
An adaptation for young audiences based on the original Disney story of transformation and tolerance, it was peformed to year five children from The Kings C of E Primary Academy, as well as to fellow Magnus students, families and friends.
Students from years seven to 12 joined the double-cast for the performances.
Creation of the hand-painted set design, props and planning for the show spanned a five-month period, during which time students used their enrichment lessons, one hour each week, to smooth out the details before more frequent rehearsals began.
Leanne Phillips, primary and community liaison officer, said: “Beauty and the Beast has been such a joy to put together with the cast this year. They really understood the roles and got straight into character from the first rehearsal which really helped bring to life the magic in the production.
“We have been rehearsing for five months and what a fun-filled and action-packed time it has been preparing for the show. We had lots of support from our staff and students this year, we created our own production company helping create set, props, costume, hair and makeup and it was great to see the students’ production work up on stage, it felt like a team effort.
“We are so proud of how hard the cast and crew worked. We had some lovely feedback from our audiences, and we are already planning our next production.”
Every member of the cast and large crew were gifted a rose pin by the academy to remember their experience and efforts.
Principal, Anna Martin, added: “Our school vision is ‘Developing people of good character, who achieve excellence and make a positive contribution to their communities’. This includes helping our young people discover their talents and work towards achieving excellence in these areas.
“Participating in a school production, whether on or off stage, is a great opportunity to explore talents and develop excellence. It also requires strength of character to persevere during the many months of rehearsals.
“As always, we are grateful to everyone who has helped to put on this year’s show. A special mention must go to our talented staff team, for supporting our students to shine. But most of all, our thanks and congratulations go to the young people themselves from Magnus who have given so much of their time to entertain us with this magnificent performance.”
