Up until fairly recently, I had never seen Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ (I was more of a ‘Beauty and The Beast’ fan growing up), neither had I ever directed a show before. So when Mrs Sawney asked me to direct the KS3 Summer musical, I went in not really knowing what to expect.
I expected that the students would perform brilliantly – which they did. From warbling seagulls, a girl-band of mermaids and crazy chefs, the students threw themselves into every aspect of the production. The music was brought to life beautifully under the guidance of Mr Hargraves and Mrs Bell, working in tandem with Miss Lee’s fantastic choreography. What also made the show ‘pop’ was the incredibly colourful technical design from our new performing arts technician, Miss Nielson and the carnival costumes designed and made by Mrs Sawney and an army of staff volunteers. It was like watching a party on stage, and I hope the audience had as much fun watching it as we did making it.
What I didn’t anticipate, however, was the sense of community the students had built by the end of it. The kindness they showed to each other; be it helping with a quick change, covering a mistake or building each other up when they felt nervous. That is where they should be most proud. It’s always sad when a show ends, but hopefully this production will be one of many that the students participate in over the course of their time at SHS. Regardless, I hope they always look back fondly on their time spent ‘Under the Sea’. – Ms Coslett, Director of The Little Mermaid Production
