No one mourns the Wicked, but our school play brought their story to life!

Under the spotlight, the stage came alive with laughter, drama, and the unmistakable energy of students from Y7 to Y13 bringing their talent to life! 

The production had it all, from backstage preparations to props, costumes, makeup, acting, dancing, music and sound and light effects!  

Tickets sold like hot cakes! The "School's Next Big Event" had everyone eager with anticipation, and they were undoubtedly not disappointed.  

For nearly six months, the sacrifice made by parents and students was remarkable. After all that, they were eager to witness the results after such a long wait. 

The event took place for two days, with three shows. Ms Bethany Carmo and many other teachers worked tirelessly, with impressive energy and great effort to make all of this happen the way it did.  

For participants, teachers, family members, friends, it was truly a marvellous experience.  

Although it initially appeared a little chaotic and out of place, we worked together to make it the best it could have possibly been.  As our wonderful director, Ms Carmo said, there was truly “no rest for the Wicked”!  Students put months of hard work and practice into the show, and I can’t believe what we managed to achieve. We would spend a lot of time perfecting the songs and dances just to make sure everything was on track.  

The props team created some marvellous elements that made the performance feel even more realistic, alongside the costumes team. They truly gave it their all to make sure everything was perfect. It took a lot of patience and hard work to craft all the costumes for every single character in the play, as well as select the makeup that would mostly match each character’s personality. It is also truly admirable how the orchestra managed to play such advanced pieces so well and without hesitation. It can be really overwhelming, especially if the parts are difficult but, every single person that participated in the orchestra did an amazing job and gave the play that magical touch, the cherry on top. 

The moment people would walk in the theatre, they were greeted by our fellow monkeys. I believe that this already increased people’s excitement, enthusiasm, and eagerness to see what was about to come. Everything made us feel in a completely different atmosphere, as if we were really in the land of OIS (Oz).  

Now, for those who just got the chance to watch the play, the backstage experience and process behind everything was really something else. When rehearsals first started, maybe there wasn’t that much excitement or worry but, once the big day started approaching, all of that changed. 

The moment we set foot on the theatre on the first day we started rehearsing there, we actually realized how real it was.  

The first couple of rehearsals on the stage, felt quite simple and similar to what we had been doing every single other practice. We also presented Act I for the PYP as a kind of dress rehearsal and that went pretty well.  

Moving on to ‘Opening Night’, the nerves really started settling in, and the worry of messing up was high, at least for some of us. Me and some of my friends would keep each other distracted from all the “pressure” by saying funny things to each other and giving motivational advice that would actually help us all end up laughing again and the time would just pass quicker. The moment the theatre started filling up with people, we could feel it approaching faster than expected. We would keep on peeking from behind the curtains to see how many people there were and to see if we could find any of our family members. 

Backstage and in the middle of the performance, we frequently needed to touch up our makeup and restyle our hair. We also took moments to rehearse lines or song lyrics together and eat some snacks to keep the energy going. 

The public was constantly involved in the play, with many cast members all around dancing and engaging with them. Many of the performers would end up interacting with the audience in certain parts of the play and this would make the feeling even more special.  

We went, we acted, and we conquered. You wonder what? The hearts of everybody with this inspiring story that shows us an important message to always stand up for what we believe in. 

Even though Wicked the Musical, the school play, is over, everyone still remembers it clearly. Being together is always fun, but being together and acting on the stage was truly the best! 

💚THE END! 🩷