Middle Grades Students "Open a Door and Enter a World"

All the streets and sidewalks that led to the school, the swings, and the slide on the playground were covered in snow last Friday morning. The excitement around the Middle Grade's production of Narnia the Musical, set to premier that night, was heightened by what appeared to be the White Witch's early arrival to ICSB. 

 

 

Students, staff, and volunteers had been working tirelessly for weeks in preparation for the big premiere. From painting set pieces to sewing costumes, learning lines, actors practicing the songs, musicians practicing the score, dancers honing in on their movements, and so forth, many hours had been put into making this production the best it could be. Though this was primarily a Middle Grade production, many Upper School students graciously volunteered their time and effort to help with various aspects. Petra B. and Zsuzsanna M. were stage managers, Andrea D. acted as set lead, Eszti W. was costume lead, Susanna M. was props lead, and Dániel L. volunteered as tech lead, along with the rest of the crew that was made up of Upper School students. Music was provided by a live orchestra full of students and staff, led by their conductor, Ms. Laura Danneker. Mr. Alex Konya led the sound and Lighting. All of this was under the leadership and vision of co-directors Mrs. Rebecca Lingenhoel and Ms. Luiza Sekkar. Here is what Mrs. Lingenhoel had to say on their journey from preparations to performances. 

Choosing to do Narnia this year brought a lot of excitement - and fear - as this story has been etched in many people's minds and hearts in our community.  Could we represent the power of Aslan while showing his goodness and love? Would we be able to show the transformation from winter to spring that represents what happens to those who commit to following him? Would we be able to show the power of what happened at the stone table, the triumph of good over evil and all of this with middle school students? My imaginings of turning sets, creating the dynamic of fierceness and love, costumes, make-up - it all happened, and so much more. The students poured themselves into their roles. The play was difficult; the music was difficult; the set painting was difficult; the building of moving pieces was difficult; the costuming and makeup were completely new for us, but they rose above the obstacles and difficulties, worked together, and saw how God provided for ALL of our needs to allow the story to be told. The students GREW leaps and bounds in all aspects of performance, and I am so thankful for the hands, feet, and hearts of students, parents, and staff that took part, whether seen during the performance or leaving their fingerprints on the production through serving with their gifts behind the scenes. We are so blessed. 

Mrs. Rebecah Lingenhoel, Director

 

 

The work had been put in; it was time to share it with the community on this snowy Friday evening. The community gathered in the Gym, which had been transformed into a theatre, with great anticipation for the premiere. Ms. Amy Leaman led a prayer before the start of the show, and thus it began. 

 

 

The show began with a beautiful dance by Chaerin H. as the White Stag. Then, the set design immediately transported the audience to 1940 England, where Peter (Vadyslav S.) Susan (Kata M.) Edmund (Daniel de J.) and Lucy (Anastasiia Z.) had just arrived at their relative's mansion to escape the London Blitz. Not long after, Lucy found herself in Narnia, and the audience witnessed the iconic scene of Lucy meeting Tumnus (Mary L.) at the lamppost, brought to life by an unmistakable costume and set design and Mary and Anastasiia's superb acting. Upon Lucy's return to Narnia and Edmund following her, The White Witch (Anna C.) entered the scene, bringing winter and snow to ICSB inside and out. The White Witch's costume and sley were incredible pieces of craftsmanship, and Anna C. and Daniel de J. gave brilliant performances.

 

 

As the story unfolded, the audience got to meet Father Christmas, (Johannes K.) the Dwarf, (Sienna R.) the Professor (Hyoin J.) Mrs. MacReady (Addison G.), Fenris Ulf (Hanna N.), and Aslan, who majestically towered over the rest of the cast. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver (Westin E. and Lydya S.) wowed the audience with their cockney accent, for which they had consulted our resident British accent expert, Mr. Chris Fletcher. The second night, due to an emergency, Andrea D. had to step in for Lydia for the first few scenes. Despite the last-minute change and having to read from the book, Andrea did not miss a beat; she knew the songs and nailed the Cockney accent, and all in all, she rose to the occasion. Thankfully, after the first few scenes, Lydia was able to step back in and deliver a stellar performance herself. When Mrs. Lingenhoel saw Lydia re-enter the stage after her emergency, she could not help but shed a few tears of joy. 

 

 

On Saturday night, as Aslan and the children defeated the White Witch and the children took their rightful place as kings and queens of Narnia, you could see the joy and relief on the student's faces as they were nearing the end of two successful nights of transporting us into the magical land of Narnia. All of their hard work had paid off, and now it was time to celebrate. After the show, the lead cast and the Lower School Principal thanked their directors. On the first night, this was Ms. Amy Leamon, while on Saturday, Mr. David Kelley gave the flowers, marking the transition back to his leadership.

 

 

Ms. Luiza Sekkar reflected on her experience co-directing, saying she loved directing Narnia because it was a difficult musical, and she was delighted to see the kids step up to the occasion. "They weren’t aware how difficult it was," she said, "they were just doing what was asked of them." The young cast was pushed to grow, and they were evidently nervous about it. When Ms. Sekkar saw their first performance on Friday, she was overcome with joy and amazement. They exceeded her expectations, which were already high. She commented on Lydia S. having to miss the first few scenes on Saturday. 

The situation with Lydia was a great spiritual moment. We talked backstage about faith and how God gives and takes away. We discussed doing our best even if Lydia can't perform. That really brought the kids together. They were very nervous, but then, we did breathing prayer together. We breathed in, "God, I give you my frustration," and we breathed out, "God, you are in control." It was beautiful to see God in the midst of everything: their hardship, fears, beauty, and acting. We did have a message to send, and we did send that message. My prayer is that this message will keep speaking to these kids as the weeks go by and as they grow. But it’s hard to say what it meant to me because it meant a lot, and it was great to see their growth. At the end, people were thanking me, but I felt like I shouldn't be thanked because I was the most blessed in seeing their growth.

Nonetheless, we will continue to thank Mrs. Lingenhoel and Ms. Sekkar's creative and spiritual leadership and their investment in this performance, but more importantly, in the lives of our students. Thank you to everyone involved for their hard work in making this such a memorable weekend for the ICSB community.