The past few months have been an excited flurry of activity for the young and enthusiastic thespians of The Flying Solo School of English, Speech and Drama.
Although busy perfecting lines, choreography, costumes, sets and all other trapping of a production, it is quite clear that these youngsters have had the time of their lives while juggling hectic school curriculums, sports meets and working throughout the holiday season to stage their school’s first production- 'Fairy Wings' which began on April 23, will hold its final performance tonight at The Lionel Wendt.
“The aim of this production,” explains its director Sharika Jayewardene, “is not just to have a group of children putting up a performance which is of a high standard but also to have them learn the basics of putting together a successful production with a great deal of innovation and fun in the process.
ccordingly, the production can be described as one which is for children, by children. The students decided which plays they wanted to perform (the younger ones picked Peter Pan, being fascinated by magical beings and fed up of grown ups telling them that the do not exist) and the seniors, 'A Midsummer Nights Dream'. Most of the other production aspects such as set design, costume design, front of house, and stage management are handled by the students.”
And the cast of a 'Midsummer Nights Dream' agree that it has been a learning experience. “There has been a certain amount of pressure on us at times, but we’ve still had a lot of fun and we realise now that a little bit of pressure helps us to work better. The best part of the 'Fairy Wings' experience though, is working with those of different ages. It has been really great,” smiles Aqueel Mohideen(19) .
“What we wish the audience to see is a display of creativity, exuberance, enthusiasm and enjoyment," explains Sharika. “It is about being creative and having fun because that is where the magic of drama and theatre lies. A production should not involve students being overworked in the cause of putting on a polished performance.”
The cast and crew of 'Fairy Wings' includes 48 children who represent a diversity of ethnicities and educational backgrounds. Musical aspects of the production will be handled by Menaka Sahabandu, Hasini Halpe Andree, and Anusha Tissera; and choreography done by Tarja De Silva.
All proceeds from the show will go towards the School for Deaf and Blind in Ratmalana and the Auditorium Project by the Ave Maria School, Negombo. |
E-mail
