Nanaimo kids invite you on a magic carpet ride
Opening night isn’t far away and Grace remains as cool as a cucumber. We’re as nervous as… as radishes. All we can think about is her getting up on stage and trying to remember songs, dances, where she’s supposed to be on stage, and whether her hat’s on straight. It’s so confusing. Thankfully, the kids in this production of Aladdin are all as cool as Grace (in the cucumber sense, but come to think of it, they’re all cool in the other sense as well).
Over 25 local kids are involved in the production, and for many of them this is their first foray into the world of theatre. With the help of director Eliza Gardiner and choreographer Silvia Knapp, that foray has been an exciting journey – I know Grace is chomping at the bit to do more musical theatre. And the dedication of all the kids, and the Red Room Studio staff has been amazing.
For weeks on end now, they’ve been attending two three-hour sessions, learning lines, practicing songs, performing their dances, and trying to stay quiet when they’re not in the number being rehearsed at that moment. We’ve seen the organized chaos that is any large musical rehearsal and as non-actors, it made us a little nervous. Until we saw the piece on Shaw cable the other day, where the kids were all in their costumes and performing their numbers beautifully! Now we’re feeling more like cucumbers heading into final rehearsals and then the performances.
The first show is Saturday May 23rd at 7pm up at Vancouver Island University’s Malaspina Theatre in Nanaimo. Then on Sunday May 24th there’s a 2pm show. Tickets are just $10 in advance or $12 at the door. BTW, our youngest is dressing up as Jasmine for the show, so put on your best Aladdin outfits and we’ll see you there!
Now we’ve also got some tickets to give away – just click here for all the details
