Roll up! They're coming soon - it's Clowns for one night only at St. John's United Church in Davis Bay on Tuesday, May 16.
The children of Music Makers, about 35 of them, have been rehearsing since mid-February for the musical Clowns, a play by Canadian author Craig Cassils, that tells a tale of young circus performers in search of a big secret.
The performers represent a range of ages, from kindergarten to grades 6/7, says director Lynne Dickson, who has presented this show before, years ago. Grades 3 to 7 work well together, while the little children sing. Even the Pennywhistlers, a Music Makers group, have been incorporated into the show.
The Big Wheel (a lit up circus wheel), played by Flynn Wilbur, encourages the clowns to discover the great secret of life. Little Bentley, the clown, played by Stephanie Slingerland, thinks she has discovered it. Two main characters, Rosie (Emma Gerwing) and Ralph (Christie Lacoste), are also searching. In the end, each decides that they have something special to offer in the search for the secret to life.
This version has a more elaborate stage set than before and features more solo vocals, testing the kids' abilities with eleven catchy songs in all. "Even the tiny kids have learned all the lyrics," Dickson said. "I can't believe it."
The group has learned their singing parts well, she says, and their harmonies sound fabulous. This is, after all, what the Music Makers program is all about - total participation in music through singing, movement, speech and instruments.
Dickson has lived on the Sunshine Coast for 33 years with her husband Reg and their family. After studying music at UBC, she opened the Music Makers Studio in 1994 to teach educational and entertaining programs combining the Orff, Kodaly and Dalcroze methods of music and movement. She also teaches pennywhistle and choir. In this show, she is helped by theatre and clown specialist Tracy Lloyd and pianist Paula Seward.
Tickets are $12 at Talewind Books and through Music Makers. Details can be found at www.music-makers.ca.
