Having
successfully staged several shows including classics like, Oliver Twist
and Alladin, the Arts Department at Crescendo HELP International School
embarked on an ambitious project to stage The Legend of Mulan in 2019.
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The cast, crew and musicians for The Legend of Mulan, staged by by Crescendo HELP International School |
Then
at the start of the first school term in August 2023, the school decided to
adopt The Legend of Mulan as a Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) in a project
that would involve students and teachers from the Primary and Secondary
schools.
This
marked the start of an extraordinary journey as everyone was encouraged to be
part of this exciting project that needed dedicated teams of talents to turn
the plans into reality.
The family of Mulan Fa discovers that she had left to join the army; [L to R] Her brother, father, mother and grandmother |
This
presentation would be a collective effort of students, teachers and staff,
working on its promotion, acting on stage, playing the music, preparing the
props, managing the multi-media, sound, lighting and every detail behind the
scenes, and in every area of the production.
Students
were encouraged to attend auditions to discover their talents not only in
character roles on stage but also as musicians to form an orchestra as well as
for skills in prop-making, stage backdrop designs and costumes.
A dramatic fight scene in The Legend of Mulan |
While
the directors worked with the actors and the music conductors worked with the
musicians, the prop-makers and costume-design teams, each worked separately.
The
directors included teachers as well as six-formers who recently completed their
studies with the school but were passionate to work with the team in this
project.
A vocal rendition of Reflection by Sam Tan Hann |
I had
the pleasure to accept the invitation from Wafi to the first show and arrived
at the school, well ahead of time so that I could soak in the atmosphere and
gear myself up to better appreciate this live performance.
It
was good to be back at the school again and to meet with staff members who got
to know My Johor Stories when I was at the school for their Book Week event in 2018.
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A scene where Mulan Fa meets the Emperor |
In
the brief introduction by the Master of Ceremony, he advised the audience to
keep to their seats and leave the central corridor free as the performers would
be using this space during their performance.
He
also hinted that the performance would include an invitation for audience
participation and encouraged the audience to join in, to make the story come
alive for everyone.
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The audience was invited to participate... |
Members
of the Media Club, photographers and videographers, were in the audience, discreetly
ready to capture the moments as the show opened with a brief synopsis of the
story presented in three languages, English, Malay and Mandarin.
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A section of the audience, participating with the actors on the stage during the show |
It
was truly a commendable effort by the students who played their various parts
as main characters along with the many supporting roles as well as the team of
guards.
While
I observed the coordination among the teams in changing the backdrop, moving the
stage props and the music accompaniment to the various scenes, I was impressed
with the professional touch even for a school production such as this.
The performance kept the audience engaged and entertained, especially during the vocal rendition of familiar tunes like Reflection performed by Sam Tan Hann and the closing song, True to Your Heart, by Brian Lo Jing Chen.
Everyone
did an excellent job and should be congratulated for putting up a good show
that enthralled and was enjoyed by both players and audience alike. Well done!
Crescendo
HELP International School is located at PTD 204446, Jalan Lebuh Cemerlang,
Taman Desa Cemerlang, 81800 Ulu Tiram, Johor. For more info about the school
and its curriculum, visit website: chis.edu.my
Check out this link to CHIS Facebook page post: https://www.facebook.com/crescendohelpinternationalschool
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