What a week it has been for the cast of The Lion King Jr. All students in Years 5 and 6 have taken part in this exciting adventure set in the African pridelands. With our afternoon preview performance and two evening performances now over, we can look back and reflect upon what has been an amazing journey for everyone involved.

Beginning in early February with our auditions and casting, the girls have worked very hard each week to learn the songs, dances and dialogue in this production piece. Many of the songs are in two or three parts and it has been a credit to the students that they have achieved this vocal standard in addition to the dance movements and staging requirements.

We have all enjoyed working with our visiting choreographer Chris Barratt and our very own Miss Kirrilly Wootton to learn the dances for this show. The wide range of music and characters in this production has led to some exciting and comical moments during rehearsals, as students explored signature movements for their particular characters and learnt to work together as an ensemble.

The students were actively involved in each stage of the journey, sometimes surprising us with their initiative and creative input, which both added to and extended the original ideas of the production team. In the Art room, the students created beautiful pieces including animal masks, jungle foliage and giant birds, some of which were used in the show and others formally displayed in the foyer area during the performances.

I am immensely proud of all the students in The Lion King Jr. They have created a wonderful memory for the St Catherine’s School community, and a rich and happy memory for themselves, which I hope they will carry with them for many years to come.

Congratulations again to all the talented cast and crew of The Lion King Jr.