On Thursday, 25 May, our Junior School students took to the Snowy Shed stage for the musical Pirates of the Curry Bean. Students were elated to get to work on their performance after a few years of hiatus owing to Covid-19. For many of our Junior School students, this was their first production at SMGS.

The musical is based on young twins Jack & Liza Periwinkle who yearn for adventure, so imagine their joy at discovering a real-life treasure map! But when the infamous Redbeard and his pungent Pirates of the Curry Bean steal the map and kidnap their mother, the race is on to rescue her, reclaim the map and find the treasure!

Accompanied by their faithful cat Fiddlesticks, the twins join a mad admiral and his crazy crew on a voyage of adventure that takes them from Old London Docks to the mysterious island of Lumbago in the sea of Sciatica!

While members of the audience enjoyed the final efforts of students and staff, the students reaped the benefits of the process and the opportunity to participate in a musical.

The benefits of musical productions are not lost on our staff and students. As experienced by most of our junior school students, musicals can improve children’s self-confidence, public speaking skills, and teamwork abilities. Additionally, they can help children develop a sense of creativity and an appreciation for the arts. These performances also provide opportunities for children to showcase their talents and can create lasting memories for both the performers and the audience.

Students in Year 1 echoed this sentiment about their experience participating in this year’s musical. When asked about what they liked the most and what they found to be the most challenging, they said:

Henry

The best part was dancing with my friends. The hardest part was waiting for my turn and trying to be quiet.

Jacob

The best part was dressing up in the costumes but remembering all the moves to the dance was hard.

Savannah

The best part was dancing on the stage in front of everyone. The hardest part was singing because there were lots of words to remember.

Our stage six students had similar thoughts, saying:

Emma – Stage Crew

Working backstage and participating in the Year 6 dance was fun. Making sure the props were in the right place was challenging sometimes.

Harper

My favourite part was when we all yelled “arr”. The hardest part for me was bobbing because I had a bad knee that day.

Lilly – played Deadey Dinghy

I loved the humour in the musical. It was also good how there was a part for everyone who auditioned. Overall it was so fun, and I loved it. The hardest part was getting onto the stage when it was my part.

Molly – played Jack Periwinkle

The best part of the musical was performing with my friends. The hardest part was learning all of my lines.

Grace – Stage Crew

I liked being a part of the stage crew and moving the props. The hardest part was following the script and telling the other students to prepare for their roles on the stage.

Cohen – played Captain Cod

The best part about participating in the musical was having the opportunity to perform on stage. The hardest part was learning all of the lines.

 

After a hiatus, Principal Dr Andrew Bell was delighted to have the Junior School musical back in action, saying, “A huge congratulations to all of our Junior School students and staff for putting on a great performance yesterday and again last night. Thank you to all our Junior School staff for 100% participation by Junior School students, which is quite remarkable. It was a clever script and musical selection, and the students delivered a most entertaining show. Thank you to all involved for enabling our students to have such a wonderful experience. Very well done indeed.”

After a triumphant return to the stage, we look forward to more performances from our Junior School students.

Photos of the evening can be viewed here.

A wrap-up of the evening can be viewed here.

The event program can be viewed here.