The students at École Mother Teresa School recently performed The Lion King JR, a play no one would have wanted to miss.
The face paint and costumes the actors and actresses wore were perfect and right on theme.
They all sang and spoke perfectly, their timing in sync to the music and lighting.
The audience was full of parents and younger children sitting and while watching viewers felt like they were in the ‘circle of life’ right along with the performers.
Seeing the story of Simba and Nala unfold in front of you was an awe-inspiring sight.
Girls acted out the male characters – Simba, Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa, and they did an impeccable job with their performances.
The three hyenas in particular kept the laughs rolling all night.
The performers followed the script well, with the story and plot line being similar to that of the Disney movie.
Maria King, teacher and director of the play, said the highlight of this production is seeing the students come together in many amazing ways to create a great production.
“From the backdrops, to the sets, to the scene, to the costumes, it’s a family situation and seeing them light up and the audience light up, that’s the best,” she said.
In making this play happen, King said the students had to learn the value of their roles no matter what their job was in the production.
“They have value and just really coming together for something that is greater than one person,” she said. “Coming together as a family and bringing out the emotions of others and sharing some really important lessons and having a great time and getting to enjoy music and theatre isn’t something everybody gets the opportunity to do.”
Every good play faces challenges in the process of perfection.
King said some of the challenges were coordinating rehearsal time because many of the students had commitments to other activities.
“We have a huge cast here, but they put a lot of time and effort in on their own and at the end it was a phenomenally polished production and we are so proud of them,” King said.
Kristen Sandberg played the magnificent lion, Nala, and had a fabulous time playing the character.
She said playing Nala was an incredible experience and she enjoyed portraying the character.
“It is a really cool experience,” Sandberg said. “You get to be someone you’re not.”
For Sandberg, acting in the play was about having fun with other people in the production and doing what she loves to do – act.
Sandberg said the biggest challenge was getting the timing right with people she had never performed with before.
She recalls it was only after a few rehearsals that the cast and crew became like family and were able to get the timing down.
Nervousness was seemingly nowhere to be found on the set of the Lion King that night.
When having all the audience’s eyes on you, Sandberg said the nerves were there but when you know you have the support of your peers and everyone involved in the production it can help to ease your worries.
“We helped each other throughout that and we got it down,” she said. “When everyone is staring at you and you feel like you’re going to miss a line but then you don’t, it’s the best relief you can feel.”
Sandberg said being in the play was definitely a crazy journey, but added they are all over the moon with the final results of the performance and are looking forward to next year’s production already.
reporter@sylvanlakenews.com