Magnus Church of England Academy students have 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 the 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 a 5-month period, during which time 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 supporting the cast, including students who hand painted the set. Every member of the cast and crew were gifted a rose pin by Magnus C of E Academy to remember their experience and efforts.
Leanne Phillips is Primary and Community Liaison Officer at Magnus C of E Academy and she 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 5 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!”
Principal, Anna Martin said the performance was a source of pride for the whole academy. She said, “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.”