Posted on 27th Mar
Magnus Church of England Academy students put on four glittering performances of Beauty and the Beast Jr, an adaptation for young audiences based on the original Disney story of transformation and tolerance.
Students from year 7 to year 12 joined a double -cast, sharing the performances given to year 5 children from The Kings C of E Primary Academy, and additional performances to fellow students, families and friends.
In all, the set design, props and planning spanned five months, during which students used their enrichment lesson, of one hour each week, to smooth out the details before more frequent rehearsals began.
The performances were supported by a large crew of technicians, set, and props teams, including students who hand-painted the set.
Every member of the cast and crew were gifted a rose pin by the academy to remember their experience and efforts.
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.
“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.”
Principal, Anna Martin said the performance was a source of pride for the whole academy.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
