Year 3 and 4 production of Seussical KIDS
Posted on: March 28th 2024School News
Every Junior School pupil in years 3 and 4 at The Manchester Grammar School performed Seussical™ KIDS across two evenings in mid-March in front of a live audience of parents and family members, staff and pupils. Horton, the Cat in the Hat, and all our cherished Dr. Seuss characters truly brought the stage to life with their magical antics. From the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, the audience was transported on a whimsical journey, witnessing the heartwarming tale of Horton and his discovery of the tiny Whos. Friendship, loyalty, and the power of community shone brightly in this captivating musical extravaganza!
Eleanor Losse, Head of the Junior School, commented on the performances: "Seeing all of our youngest pupils, singing, dancing and performing on stage in ‘Seussical the Musical’ truly was an uplifting and joyous experience! Many of these boys have only been at MGS for two terms and, for our Year 4s, this was their first opportunity to take on lead roles, sharing their talents with a packed Cyrne Theatre on both nights. Auditions began in earnest many months again, but it was only a week before the performances that rehearsals moved to the theatre and the show started to feel real! With an incredible set in place, which included a moving helicopter, a clover field, a giant egg and a bathtub, the production started to come to life, although whether this combination of brilliant stories from Dr Seuss ever made sense, remains debatable!
"Junior School pupils have the opportunity to perform in the theatre during every year of their Junior School career and the benefits of this cannot be underestimated. To see pupils who joined in September as quiet, nervous individuals taking on lead roles, taking direction, responding to their cues and pouring their hearts and souls into entertaining the audience is quite astonishing. They are learning to collaborate, listen, follow instructions, retain information and all whilst having the most incredible fun!
"Of course, such fabulous productions rely on the hard work and dedication of the staff team as well as the pupils. As primary specialists, staff really do produce the most amazing shows, all whilst continuing to deliver the whole curriculum. Roles were shared out across the Year 3 and 4 team, who set to work creating the programmes, organising props and costumes, rehearsing pupils and working hard behind the scenes to bring Seussical the Musical together".
Eleanor concluded: "Altogether, Year 3 and 4 really did show us that ‘people are people, no matter how small'!"
