Grade 8 Experience - Old
Beauty and the Beast
From the performances on stage to the building of the props and the operation of the lights and microphones, nearly everything was in the hands of the students themselves at this year’s Grade 8 musical, Beauty and the Beast.
The students’ months of hard work paid off when the musical took the stage for a pair of showings on Friday, June 21, which none other than Head of School Mr. Larry Lamont called, “hysterical,” and absolutely brilliant.”
“They’ve been working very hard,” Theatre teacher Mr. Sal Interlandi said of the Grade 8s. “It’s hard to do something like that in a short period of time, but it’s been a lot of fun. The spirit of the class has been fun to work with. There is a lot of great energy.”
With so many students involved, there were multiple actors in some key roles, such as the titular Belle and Beast, and the villainous Gaston. In addition to Mr. Interlandi, the students received guidance from teachers Ms. Annie Marland, Mr. Marcus Carter and Mr. Philip Toews, and guest vocal coach Mrs. Laura Interlandi.
“We didn’t know how it would come together, integrating everything,” Mr. Interlandi admitted. “But the kids were great. They were flexible and stayed in the moment and fed off the audience.”
Some of the young actors will no doubt be inspired to take part in the 2024-25 School musical, which was recently revealed to be Chicago, the Jazz Age show that hit the big screen in the 2002 film that won the Oscar for Best Picture.
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Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
