World Vision contacted Marchand hoping to gather just a few kids to audition for the play, but with the interest of more than 100 students and staff, it soon became a school project.
“The kids said to me that this was an opportunity that we cannot pass up,” said Marchand. “The idea was continuing to develop using the talented kids here at Aquinas and the amazing creative team provided by World Vision. It’s the first time this particular full-length musical has ever been produced.”
For two months, students worked tirelessly to memorize scripts, practice songs and learn dances for the full-length musical. They worked with professionals under the direction of workshop director Dennis Hassell.
In addition to arts students, the production included woodshop and carpentry students who helped build sets, and fashion students who created costumes.
Charmaine Sherlock, national manager for World Vision, said the idea to create a musical that could be performed by school groups across Canada began three years ago. By combining theatre with issues surrounding poverty and injustice, students gain both an artistic and educational experience.
“It began as an idea and it’s just bearing its fruit right now,” said Sherlock.
Shaneice Anthony, a Grade 10 vocals major who plays Kara, said the show illustrates the social and economic issues of the world and how many wealthy people are unaware of the problems that plague the world.
Sean Rintoul, a Grade 12 drama major, played the male lead of Forest who lives in a poor village with a lack of resources.
“Exploring the character Forrest, I had to do a lot of background work of what life was like for that kind of person. When you are on stage, you have to live and react and become someone exactly like that,” said Rintoul.
“So when you bring yourself to that perspective, you can understand what it is like for those who don’t have as much as we do,” he added.
Megan Apa, a Grade 12 drama major plays the female lead of Jemma, said that although she knew about different global issues, they were in the back of her mind before the musical.
“When going to rehearsal everyday, you think about it so much, and realize it’s not something that’s just going to go away and you have to do something about it,” said Apa.
(Leanage, 18, is a media studies student at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto.)
School musical spotlights poverty
By Naomi Leanage, Youth Speak NewsBRAMPTON, ONT. - St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School’s year-end musical gave the audience much more than entertainment. It imparted an educational message on poverty and access to resources.
Amid the backdrop of a Romeo-and-Juliet-like love story, The Other Side of the River portrays the uneven distribution of the world’s wealth and how poverty is treated in the Western world.
The audience saw how the worlds of the rich and the poor can work together and share resources in order to make the world a better place, said vice principal of arts Leslie Marchand.
Produced in association with World Vision Canada, a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization, The Other Side of the River included more than 70 actors, dancers and singers from the school’s regional arts program. The play opened June 2, with additional performances on June 4, 10 and 11.
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