It was “Opening Night” for the Mentor/TEAM spring theatre season yesterday as the Primary Campus presented the first of two sold-out shows of “The Jungle Book”. Next Monday, TEAM School will transport audience members to the land of Oz and on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mentor’s Intermediate Division presents “The Music Man”.

While I was holding the doors open for the chorus members last night, it was clear that there was a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm on the faces of the kindergarten to Grade 4 students and I thought to myself that we need to have more large-scale drama and musical productions in our lives. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have everyone in your neighbourhood get together once a week and put on “Shakespeare-in-the-Park” during the summertime? Can you imagine how much more fun work might be if you got to win a big fight scene with the CEO and then sing the finale over his/her trembling body (my apologies if you are a CEO…you can re-write the script or fire that employee as soon as the curtain falls, of course)?

The thing I enjoy most about our musicals is that it truly does “take a village”. It takes students with acting, singing, set designing, instrumental, graphic arts and organizational skills to make a large-scale production work and since most of us have only one or two of these gifts, everyone gets their chance to shine. The same can be said for the teachers involved; they each bring a talent to the show whether they are either behind-the-scenes or up in front. “Break a leg” everyone!

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School