Wellington Today Wellington Today 2018 en | Page 20

2018
CALAMITY JANE
ANNUAL PRODUCTION
- A HUGE SUCCESS
Wellington College International Tianjin
There is no doubt that the 80 pupils who took part in our Calamity Jane annual
production , enjoyed themselves enormously and will, as a result, be humming the
many popular tunes from the show for a very long time. After only five weeks
of intense rehearsals, pupils aged from 8 to 18 years took to the stage in a lively
show that was filled with song, dance, movement, and drama - all enhanced by a
specially constructed stage set, colourful and authentic costumes, and creative and
imaginative lighting. Wellington College International Tianjin’s sixth annual musical
theatre production was written by Sammy Fain many years ago as a fun, feel
good show and this is how we wanted to present it in the Seldon Theatre at the
College. Set in the Wild West, the fictionalized story of Calamity Jane is now almost
folklore: a larger-than-life cowgirl who nearly always gets things wrong. Wellington’s
production had a most convincing Calamity in the form of Year 8’s Crystal. She sang
and acted brilliantly, as did her co-stars.
Wellington’s production of Calamity Jane was the first to be staged anywhere in China.
SHAKESPEARE LIVES
Wellington College International Tianjin
After the recent series of Shakespeare-related workshops, lectures and performances,
staff and students from across Tianjin have been left both educated and inspired by
the experience. Wellington hosted lectures and training for teachers and students
by renowned Shakespearean scholar Duncan Lees, together with practical drama
workshops by practitioners from the famed Globe Theatre on London’s South Bank.
The Globe educators also prepared a wonderful ‘Showcase’ performance, starring pupils
from Years 8 and 11. They performed memorable scenes from A Midsummer Night’s
Dream and Macbeth in front of a packed house of VIP guests, students and parents.
Ada (Year 12) said of the December 2nd showcase: ‘It was the first time we ever had
something like this in the school. But seeing Year 8 pupils Nicole as Lady Macbeth,
Nickolas as Macbeth and Caleb as Puck made me want to see more Shakespeare
because they were great and they’re not even professional actors - yet!’
Wellington’s English and EAL Departments are planning for many more activities and
events to celebrate Shakespeare’s life and work, as well as further collaboration with
the Globe and schools across Tianjin.
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