The Edinburgh Academy Junior School

Enriching the curriculum

Drama is taught from the very earliest stages, but it changes radically as the children mature. In early years, the children ‘pretend’ in the home corner of the classroom. The teacher will support this improvised drama by providing props and costumes. Sometimes the teacher will step in and develop more focused activities, building on what the children have already done.

In upper years there is a shift towards the teaching of a wider range of dramatic techniques. Teachers may focus on mime for instance.

The context will still be cross curricular, but over time the children will develop a repertoire of dramatic skills. These skills are developed informally through class assemblies, which frequently involve the use of drama to put across a message.

Shows

More formal presentations come in the form of shows that are performed each year. Musicals are very much held together by the songs, but they are enlivened by the acting abilities of our children. Indeed, by the end of Primary 6, the children are well equipped to tackle ambitious projects. For two years running they performed works by Gilbert and Sullivan to rapturous applause.

P6 Show 2008: Aladdin

The oft-told story of Aladdin originates from The Arabian Nights tales of Asia, Arabia and Persia, the first appearance of the story in its Arabic form dating from 850 A.D. More recently, in 1855, Sir Richard Francis Burton brought the stories into the English language, and the Walt Disney Corporation brought it bang up-to-date with an animated adaptation that enjoyed great success in the early 1990s. It was this most recent adaptation, now available in a stage-performance version, complete with a Hollywood symphony orchestra backing track, that that veteran of many a P6 show, Andrew Dickenson, chose to direct and produce as his swan-song. As the story goes, Aladdin is a street urchin who lives in the large and busy town of Agrabah with his faithful monkey, Abu. Meanwhile the all-powerful Sultan is preparing for his daughter, Princess Jasmine, to choose a husband from one of three visiting Princes. When Princess Jasmine gets tired of being forced to remain in the palace that overlooks the city, she sneaks out to the market-place, where she accidentally meets Aladdin. Under the orders of the evil Jafar (the Sultan’s advisor), Aladdin is thrown in jail and becomes caught up in Jafar’s plot to rule the land with the aid of a mysterious lamp containing the Genie. Legend has it that only a person who is a ‘diamond in the rough’ can retrieve the lamp from the Cave of Wonders. Aladdin might fit that description, but that’s not enough to marry the princess, who must (by law) marry a prince. With three wishes at his disposal, Aladdin chooses to be a prince with his first; with his second, he freezes the guards who captured him, and with his final wish, Aladdin frees the Genie and promises to give all his love to Princess Jasmine, if she’ll have him. The initially reluctant Sultan now grants his consent, and everyone lives happily ever after.

In the title role, Robbie Brown gave a faultless performance as the shy, reticent Aladdin, brought a great deal of truth to the role, and always sang with confidence. As Princess Jasmine, Abaan Zaidi can claim an Academy first, as being the first girl to play a leading role in a P6 Junior School production. The on-stage chemistry between our leading man and lady perhaps took a while to settle, but their ‘Whole New World’ duet, during the most enchanting of magic carpet rides, almost seemed to take on greater meaning as the School came to the very successful end of its first year of co-education. However, the plaudits for the cast needn’t stop with the ‘top two’. Nicholas Peters’ most memorable portrayal of the sapphire-coloured, jewelencrusted, larger-than-life Genie was entirely worthy of all the praise received. Of course, heroes are only as good as their rivals, and Saul Melvin-Farr’s wicked and villainous Jafar, who appeared on stage on numerous occasions to a pantomime boo, accompanied by his trusty sidekick parrot and ‘real life’ pal, Iago (aka Sam Hooke), proved an extremely worthy adversary. Mention should also be made of the Chief Guard played by William Innes, who marched his troops and delivered his lines with a thuggish swagger and menace, and the beautiful harem ‘boys’ for demonstrating their seductive dance talents, as well as the myriad of street entertainers, acrobats, townspeople and attendants who helped provide real spectacle in the town scenes. In between times, five singing Narrators kept the audience up to speed with the developments in the plot. The quality of the on-stage performances was reflected in a lot of the back-stage work, and, of particular note, the costumes.

Every character, Principal or Chorus, looked the business, and this was in no small part down to the tireless work of Lorna Forrester, who successfully costumed her first P6 show and delivered a flavour of the East with each and every actor. To complement the costumes, an everfaithful army of P6 mums ensured the make-up was up to scratch, and they deserve our grateful thanks. It was also an Academy first for Mrs Libby Russell, who was at the musical helm of her first P6 show and who had the responsibility of training the chorus in singing and choreography as well as looking after the soloists and narrators. Mrs Russell had the unenviable task of controlling a professionally-made CD soundtrack recording, which definitely paid off and added an extra dimension to the sound and effect of the music on the show. During the final week of rehearsals, the cast were given a special treat, as the founding member of the National Youth Music Theatre and writer of over thirty shows, London-based Jeremy James Taylor, paid a visit to the Junior School. His invaluable experience gave confidence to the most recalcitrant actors to deliver a performance of which everyone could be rightly proud. And finally, to Andrew Dickenson, a man who had produced and directed a most wonderful show in three weeks, virtually from scratch! He seemed to have achieved only what Genies with wishes could deliver: fiftytwo boys and girls, singing, acting and dancing with total commitment and sheer joy — who could wish for anything more!
Angus Tully