In the bustling halls at Seaquam, whispers of excitement fill the air as posters for the upcoming play Cinderella have been released.
Among the eager students, you’ll find Ms. Kayla Gardner, drama teacher. This is her sixth year teaching at Seaquam, not just as a teacher, but an alumni who came back to teach.
“Sometimes it feels like I never left! I also teach English, but my first job here was a part-time Home Economics position. I slowly obtained more blocks in my subject areas over the last three years, but luckily landed the musical theatre department in my second year when the previous Drama teacher decided to let it go.”
Covid changed the production values, and the ability to present plays in a traditional way — in front of an audience. “That was the year of my first full-length production, but it was cancelled due to Covid. The next year I decided to do a social distanced, student-written Broadway revue that was live-streamed to adhere to the Covid protocols that year. It wasn’t until 2022 that I saw my first full musical (Matilda) to fruition. I will never forget that glorious year! After directing Newsies last year, it was time for a more classical choice for 2024.”
Making the decision to present ‘Cinderella’ to the public was Gardner’s idea. “With only one production per year. I fortunately have the luxury of choosing which show Seaquam does each year. I am a musical theatre fanatic, and we have tons of vocal and dance talent at Seaquam, so I haven’t yet chosen a play. Although a musical is a massive undertaking, with the high number of students in the program (over 70 cast and 30 crew), it’s a necessity at this point.”
The timeless play of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was a leap at first. “I took a bit of a pivot this year in choosing Cinderella. Students love their contemporary modern musicals with catchy pop ballads and relatable plots (tale as old as time - I remember my highschool director choosing ‘Anything Goes’ in my grad year and thinking…what in the world is this ancient piece of history?) With Matilda and Newsies under our belts, I think they expected another modern hit,” Gardner said.
“But they also know I love a challenge, and Cinderella — with its classical soundtrack and traditional script and dance style — is exactly that. There were mixed reviews at first - some were excited, some were skeptical - but now they’re all on board (I think the ballgowns definitely helped with that!) It’s all about trusting the process. And those that have done it before know that it doesn’t matter what show they’re doing; once they’re on stage in front of that audience, the feeling they get is exactly the same.
It’s the largest productions the school has ever produced. “I have the largest group ever this year, with over 70 cast and 25 crew. The crew is a mixture of enrolled and volunteer students. It’s such a productive group of keen students this year, which is great, as this is a very technically demanding show. All of the cast members are also part of production teams of their choosing (fundraising, advertising, costumes, props, etc) and they meet weekly to contribute towards those technical elements. It’s a great opportunity for students to get a little taste of all of the elements of theatre, and contribute even further to the collaborative nature of this process.”
There will be have two matinées — on April 29th and April 30th . The first is for our surrounding feeder elementary schools and senior residents, along with any adults with special circumstances who cannot attend an evening performance. The second will be open to Seaquam students only.
The play will be available to the public (and family) from May 1-4, 2024. Doors open at 6 :30pm with a curtain at 7:00pm. Tickets range from $12 to $25, and are available at the school.
