Tiverton schools come together to stage outdoor production of Disney's THE LION KING JR

Mandy Slevin, Development Officer at the Tiverton Co-operative Learning Partnership wrote:

We are only 2 weeks away from the huge undertaking of performing Disney’s ‘The Lion King Jr’.  I’m not sure if we have hit the hysterical stage yet.  But we must be near now surely?  Looking back, it’s been a frantic few months, and I can’t believe how far it’s all come.
After making the decision to perform the show outdoors, on the fields of Tiverton High School, as part of ‘The Two Rivers Festival’, the mammoth task of casting the main ensemble began.  Drawn from the 1300 students from the high school, a main cast of around 40 were chosen.  You would think that was enough……but no, we are the ‘Tiverton Co-operative Learning Partnership’ (TCLP) and what we do, the 11 local primaries like to get involved with too.
Cue another 400 young people; the gazelles, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, elephants, parrots, hippos, antelopes and snakes who will fill the field when baby Simba is shown to the assembled animals of Pride Rock.  Jon Sowden, Partnership Director of Tiverton High School, and the director of the show, said “The costumes are being made in all the schools and the songs are being taught by teachers in music lessons and lunchtimes.”  One parent described it as their youngster learning to ‘hum in tune in all the right places’.  There is no denying the sound that will be made, with over 20 of the main cast wearing microphones and the voices of the other hundreds over the top.  We hope, and think that it will be a spine tingling performance at times, and that there may even be some proud, moist eyes in the crowd.
If the rehearsals are anything to go by, then we need not worry about our young performers. Tiverton High School has a fine tradition of musical theatre performances, and the bulk of the main cast are so used to learning their songs and where they should be at lightning speed, that things came on very quickly.
Tickets are selling fast, set at the bargain price of £3 each for adults. It’s outdoors, so no need to worry about numbers!
We can visualise the date now.  Monday 6th July 2015 at 7pm is the first show, with another on the closing night of The Two Rivers Festival, Thursday 9th July at 7pm.  If you are in the area, please come along.  We have ordered the sun, so don’t worry about it being outdoors.  The TCLP performing ‘Disney’s The Lion King Jr’ is going to be something these children and the town will remember for a long time!