Crowds at Plympton Academy were entertained by astonishing wit and special powers as they enjoyed Matilda the Musical JR at the Plympton Academy in January.
The high-energy performance held at the college’s modern and vibrant auditorium saw young people from the school and sixth form come together for the show.
The production, which ran over five nights with some matinee performances, welcomed three Matilda’s to the stage: Lucy, Melita, and Kelsey from Year 7.
While the evening performances were open to the community to purchase tickets, several local schools were invited to the daytime shows. Matilda was a show for everyone to enjoy!
Jo Crook, the lead member of staff for drama at the Academy who produced the show, praised the three girls for their efforts in playing Matilda.
She said: “I’m so proud of our three Matilda’s. I’m really pleased with how everyone performed, actually. All of the hours, weekends and half terms put into making the event happen was fantastic. It is so good to see everything come alive.
“We are incredibly ambitious as a college so it was fantastic to see everyone enjoying this moment. We’ve always said that we don’t wish to double or triple our cast, because you then need to teach the role two or three times over, but we believe in giving as much opportunity to those who are deserving of being in the role”.
Lucy, Melita, and Kelsey each brought something unique to the role of Matilda with numerous opportunities to learn from each other.
Lucy said it was a fun role to play with an opportunity to meet many different people. She said: “I made some new friends, including people from the Sixth Form. I have been in shows with and away from college which included dance. For me, the trick to learning all my lines was by getting support from my sister”.
While for Melita, it was her first time in a principal role within a production, saying: “It can be a little scary playing a main role, as you are in front of lots of people, but it’s exciting at the same time. On one hand, you are prepared to mess up but not prepared at the same time. It’s very much a ‘the show must go on’ moment. It’s a very surreal but great experience”.
Melita recalled one of her favourite memories being when Josh, a Sixth Form student who played Mrs Trunchbull, gave a perfect cartwheel in the main performance. This wasn’t how it turned out in the rehearsals, but the result was perfect at the main event.
The announcement for those who were selected to play the various roles was sent out school-wide. Kelsey was ecstatic when she saw her name beside the role of Matilda, saying: “I almost couldn’t believe it. It was really exciting that I was sharing the role with Lucy and Melita too. I loved how we could all bring something different to the role, for example we all sang a little differently, but the memories I have made will always stay with me”.
Watch this space is the message from Plympton Academy ahead of their next show. They have some ideas in the pipeline, but nothing to share at this moment in time…
