Calamity Jane on the Deadwood Stage

Calamity Jane is a complex musical and much more demanding on the voice compared to almost any of the Academy productions that we have staged since opening in 2009.  In the main singing roles, Titus (Y10), Felisha (Y9), Nadja (Y10), Blerim (Y10) and Fis (Y10) did a fantastic job every night, receiving cheers from the audiences.  Special praise must go to Salome (Y12) in the title role, who with 4 times more songs than anyone in the cast, performed with energy, enthusiasm and character throughout the whole rehearsal process and consistently across all performances with a huge number of lyrics to learn.  Last, but by no means least - the chorus!  Not as many songs as in previous years, but…

Calamity Jane is a complex musical and much more demanding on the voice compared to almost any of the Academy productions that we have staged since opening in 2009.  In the main singing roles, Titus (Y10), Felisha (Y9), Nadja (Y10), Blerim (Y10) and Fis (Y10) did a fantastic job every night, receiving cheers from the audiences.  Special praise must go to Salome (Y12) in the title role, who with 4 times more songs than anyone in the cast, performed with energy, enthusiasm and character throughout the whole rehearsal process and consistently across all performances with a huge number of lyrics to learn.  Last, but by no means least – the chorus!  Not as many songs as in previous years, but really tricky ones with lots of repeated sections, all with slightly different lyrics.  Well done!

I must of course mention the fabulous band who provided such stunning accompaniment and support to the singers on stage – we were very lucky to have an almost full complement of violins, viola, cello, piano, guitar, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon and percussion to really produce an authentic sound….some professional productions don’t even have that many!

As Faculty Leader for the Arts, the production is always a very special (if very tiring) time of year and I would like to express my immense pride and thanks to all who took part: the cast, backstage crew, parents and staff who supported the performances and of course the fabulous Arts Faculty staff whose dedication and truly collaborative approach made the production the success that it was.

Steven Hill