Last week students and staff at Darrick Wood School brought down the curtain on their annual musical production. Months of hard work culminated in four performances of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ - chosen as this year’s musical - to much acclaim.
A highlight of the school’s calendar, the Performing Arts Faculty working with around eighty student actors, dancers and musicians, pull out all the stops to produce something very special. But how does it all come together? I caught up with director Rachel Iddiols-Bunclark and members of the cast to find out.
Asked why she chose to stage ‘The Wizard of Oz’ this year Miss Iddiols-Bunclark says “It is a show that’s bright, fun and involves lots of talent from the lower school. It’s allowed for lots of students to have speaking, dancing and singing solo parts”, which subsequently lead to “teamwork across all year groups”. Not only this, but the decision to choose the ‘The Wizard of Oz’ as the musical production stemmed from the director’s love for the characters and the songs – it evoked nostalgia for her. “It reminds me of my youth and watching the film with my family when I was younger. It goes without saying that there is so much magic in the ideas of the story and where our imagination can take us.” One particular highlight of this production was its inclusivity, as the school once again embraced the Hearing Impairment Unit, which is based at the school. Throughout, the cast use sign language as part of the choreography and, says Miss Iddiols-Bunclark, it is “heart-warming and beautiful to watch.”
Senior members of the cast, Abigail Walters (Dorothy), George Norris (Scarecrow) and Poppy Savine (the Wicked Witch) have all taken an active role in drama throughout their school life and relished the chance of taking on these iconic roles, dedicating a tremendous amount of energy and hard work into their performances. Though, as Abigail points out, handling revision for her imminent mock exams alongside rehearsals “hasn’t been easy.” Despite this Abigail has enjoyed the experience, the best part of her role being the acting which was something she “hadn’t been able to do for a while.”
For George, who defines himself as more of a naturalistic actor, it was a whole new world of heavily danced and song-based pieces. He quipped, “luckily it didn’t entirely matter if I got some of the dances wrong due to the Scarecrow’s daft and clumsy nature”. Poppy, who played the villain of the piece, adds that the best thing about her character is the cackle. “It’s iconic,” she says. “While playing a hero is great, playing a villain is more fun to me!”
The cast all agreed that ‘The Wizard of Oz’ continues to be a timeless story suitable for all the family and one that “will stay in modern theatre for years to come”. And, as Abigail concludes, the show reminds us that there really is “no place like home.”
