Victoria School of the Arts’ production of a beloved classic is encouraging its younger audience to fall in love with the original version of the story.
Junior high and high school students compose the cast, crew and orchestra of Mary Poppins, who have all been working diligently for the past two months to get show ready.
Grade 12 student Skylar Campbell plays Bert in the performance. In between rehearsals four days a week, he and other cast members spent time reading to elementary students at school.
“I read to a Grade Four and kindergarten class. It was super amazing to see them get so excited just off the pages from the book. The anticipation I saw in all of them that they get to [see the show]. They had all kinds of questions about the magic,” Campbell said. “A show like this is perfect for them.”
Director and choreographer Natalie Witte said it was important to incorporate a celebration of reading in the venture.
“Our school has a big focus on literacy,” Witte said. “I think it’s interesting because as a K-12 school we can see what happens in the older grades if they haven’t been exposed to good reading techniques and a wide variety of literature and good quality stories. It really highlights the things we believe in as a school.
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Campbell said he could tell kids were getting excited about reading the book before seeing the play.
Grade four student Rhys Merrick said he’s a big reader at home.
Alice Anderson, a kindergarten student, explained what makes Mary Poppins so appealing.
“Mary Poppins is magical and the play is going to be magical. People are going to try their hardest and make the show happen.”
Anderson said it’s “cool” that older students are in the performance.
“We love to choose plays that have a literary reference that students can study in class. That could be Romeo and Juliet or Big Fish. This year, it was a natural fit for our K-12 environment. Our younger students can enjoy it as audience members and readers.
Witte said when the younger students saw a matinee version of the show, they were elated.
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“It was exciting to see the story come to life, but also see their new friends on stage. They were singing along at a matinee. It was lovely to watch.”
Shows run from Thursday through Saturday. You can find a full list of shows here.
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