Recently, the middle school theater ensemble put on a production of the classic Disney musical, The Lion King JR. Over the years, they have performed several different classics, such as Shrek the Musical and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
However, this year’s production of The Lion King JR. was different from recent middle school musicals. It featured some students from the upper school’s musical, How to Succeed in a Business Without Really Trying including Sixth Formers Josh Williams, Aaron Bonaparte, Liam French, Luke Ganley, and Robert Goens; Fifth Formers Riyadh Rolls, Hezekiah Jones-Williams, Peter McConnell; and Third Former Kingston Williams-Ekpaji.
This collaboration added a new level of depth and experience to the performance. The inclusion of high school students not only enhanced the “stampede scene” where Scar commits regicide, letting Mufasa fall into a herd of stampeding buffalo, but it also allowed middle schoolers to learn and grow from their older peers.
“The experience was fantastic,” Williams said. “More than helping out, the best part was making connections with the younger grades. I don’t cross paths with the middle schoolers much, so it was awesome to be able to work with them on something special.”
The acting and music were strong, but so were the people who worked behind the scenes to put it together, like Technical Assistant of Centennial Hall Mx. Victoria Gill-Gomez, Director of Centennial Hall Mr. Dex Woodward, Middle School Theater Director Ms. Jennifer Hallman, Choreographer Ms. Dorothy Brown, and “Everything Manager” Ms. Rhonda Brown.
“The performance was absolutely stunning. The integration of middle and high school students was super interesting.”
Byron Yang ’28
One of the most notable parts of the production were the costumes by Costume Designer Ms. Andrea Fox, who has produced high-quality costumes for the upper school shows as well. The middle school stage crew also worked hard to ensure the musical was perfect; some will even join the high school’s stage crew next year.
With the help of everyone on the cast and stage crew, the middle school produced a musical that impressed audiences.
“The performance was absolutely stunning. The integration of middle and high school students was super interesting,” Byron Yang ’28 said. “The middle schoolers did great, and I can’t wait to see next year’s production.”
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