Dorothy in Wonderland at Sacred Heart Catholic School

On June 1, 2 and 3, the Sacred Heart Catholic School (SHCS) drama ensemble presented three performances of ‘Dorothy in Wonderland’. The play involved students from both SHCS and La Renaissance. There were 53 students on stage and another 30 students worked on set design and stage crew. The students and staff have been rehearsing since February. The play was 1.5 hours with students having memorized a vast amount of dialogue.

Some of the main characters were Abby as Dorothy, Adele as Alice, Hannah as the Queen of Hearts, Rylee as the King of Hearts, Mia as the Wizard of Oz and Ella as Glinda. The Scarecrow was played by Mihailya, the Lion was played by Delilah and Hailey played the Tinman.

The premise of the play was that Dorothy and her friends, Toto, Tinman, Lion and Scarecrow, were transported to the Land of Oz. They encountered Alice, Glinda, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and many others on their quest to return home.

Jodi Bourcier, Sacred Heart Arts teacher, said “There are many additional challenges that come from working with schools in different boards, but the staff at both schools are eager to make these partnerships work in our shared space. The arts create so many opportunities to bring people together and foster a sense of community. Students get to see how every word and gesture is integral to the success of the play, and it develops a sense of responsibility for them to prepare their parts.”

The play was the first major production where the school made use of the new motorized curtains. They are very professional looking and thanks are given to the Espanola Lions, Espanola Elks, Keitha Kozachanko, Theresa Bourcier and the audiences who donated to the cause. The play was dedicated to the memory of long time maintenance caretaker Harmel Mainville. Mr. Mainville was a dedicated supporter of the drama program who helped build sets and attended performances. In his honour, the annual Stage Crew award has been renamed the Harmel Mainville Stage Technician award.

The costuming was extensive and vibrant and everyone did a great job in their roles. The play was written by Brian D. Taylor and was produced with special permission from the Pioneer Drama Service. Each performance was very well attended and the school looks forward to many more productions.

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