Full show in a week
Pulling together a production in a week sounds pretty challenging, but it’s what 45 young people with the help of Stage Antics will do these school holidays. On Friday and Saturday, they will bring the show Sister Act JR. to the stage, performing at the Memorial Centre.
Sister Act JR. is based on the popular 1993 film and Tony-nominated Broadway musical. It was open for performers aged 10 – 18, and while the cast have been selected, they haven’t had any rehearsals yet as they will learn the entire show this week, in the lead up to the performance.
“Sister Act has been performed through New Zealand before, but not the junior version," Emma Bishop, founder and director at Stage Antics says. "Stage Antics was actually lucky enough to pilot this, three or four summers ago, we piloted it in Nelson. We’ve had 45 students sign up for it and they range from Dunedin, Wānaka, Cromwell, Alexandra, Queenstown and Invercargill."
Bishop has been working in the performing arts space for most of her life and first started the ‘show in a week’ concept a few years ago. She was inspired after attending Junior Theatre Festival New Zealand, where there was a pilot programme where children would workshop a yet-to-be-released junior Broadway musical, all within a week. When she was struggling to find a full cast able to commit to regular weekly rehearsals, she thought why not pull it together in a week?
“What’s really cool about the show in a week is that kids only need to commit from Monday to Saturday, and in that time they rehearse from nine to five, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. So they’re getting 40 hours of rehearsal.”
This is the equivalent time for the cast as if they were rehearsing one or two nights a week across a term. Bishop explains that she’s also bringing in Natasha Wilson, who’s involved with Showbiz Queenstown. Bishop will be coming down from Auckland to direct and is bringing in Meg Hargraves from Brisbane, who is an up-and-coming team member, and will be doing the choreography as well as assistant directing.
“The show is all about community, it’s about the way that the community come together. I think it’s really good for a town like Queenstown to be able to do that, and it allows me to put a higher number of people in the show and get that choir sound on stage as well. And it’s got some great songs in it,” Bishop says.
The storyline follows disco diva, Deloris Van Cartier, who witnesses a murder and is put in protective custody in a convent. Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community but, in doing so, blows her cover. Soon, the gang is giving chase, only to find them up against Deloris and the power of her newly found sisterhood. Music for the show was written by Alan Merken, who also wrote music for Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Shop of Horrors, so you can expect some catchy tunes.
“It’s definitely toe-tapping – great, high-energy. It’s a great opportunity to see some amazing young talent on stage. It’s an hour long with no intervals, so it’s perfect for younger kids to come along or for a family trip to see live theatre.”
Sister Act JR. will be at Queenstown Memorial Hall on Friday, 26 September at 7pm, and Saturday, 27 September at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets and more information can be found here. If you’re interested in getting involved in the next show when they come to town, follow Stage Antics on social media.
