By Kathy Gallant

Musicals a longstanding tradition at Gateway Elementary School

Apr 27, 2018 | 2:48 PM

Gateway School in Meadow Lake has been busy this week with music, singing, props and audience as it hosted its annual musical presentation. This year was a junior production Beauty and the Beast.

The Grade 5 and 6 school has been presenting musicals since the early 2000s, and teacher Gwen Osborne has been involved for a number of years. This year’s musical started back with auditions in January, and rehearsals and preparation by cast and crew started soon after. She said it’s truly a team effort from nearly all 250 students and many staff members.

“The kids are invested in their roles because they spend so much time doing their work,” Osborne said. “But their families were also invested in it too. The costumes we got this year were amazing. They put their heart and soul into it and their families were too.”

The school orders their plays from a New York-based Broadway company, which writes books for both kids’ and junior style plays. This year’s play was junior level, which the cast and crew found to be more demanding, but Osborne said this year’s group did very well.

Piper MacFarlane played the main role of Belle, and said she will remember this year’s production for years to come.

Trades in Sask.

Skilled trades need not limited to building homes

Apr 17, 2024

Raising concerns

Battlefords and Meadow Lake MPs weigh in on new federal budget

Apr 17, 2024

Tragic events

Sask. Gov't confirms investigation after former Pine Grove inmate passes away in hospital

Apr 16, 2024

 “We’re all so sad now that it’s over,” she said.

“Thursday was mixed emotions when it was all done,” Sienna Andersen, who played Lumiere, said. “We got a standing ovation Wednesday night which was awesome.”

Kaitlyn Forbes, who played the role of Cogsworth, said she thinks musicals are important because thy bring people together.

“It involves everyone,” Forbes said. “Even if you don’t have a big part, you need other people to help – the directors, the chorus, the sound – you need everyone to help pull it together. One teacher said it’s a play when it’s a whole team of people.”

Osborne said the long-standing tradition means a great deal to both current and past students and their families. MacFarlane’s grandmother travelled from Ontario to see the production. She also said she recently ran into an alumna of the school who was talking about her own musical experience.

“It’s their time to shine, and they always step up,” she said. “We know that these kids will go on and do great things, but they always have that Gateway musical in their mind and they’ll remember it forever.”

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca

On Twitter @ReporterKath