MHC almost-grads cap off course with musical theatre production
Medicine Hat College fourth-year education students recently had a final course project unlike any other as they put on a musical theatre production in their combined drama/music class.
The students performed “Pirates! A Musical,” and took on all the behind-the-scenes roles to bring the performance at the Cultural Centre’s Black Box Theatre to life. Instructor Colleen Whidden said taking on such a prominent performance and organizational role was a new experience for many of the students.
“These are not performance majors; they are fourthyear education students,” she stressed. “So when I first started they were leery of the whole concept of them getting up and singing and dancing. By the end, they were really having fun, and they caught the spirit of the show.”
The MHC students performed for an audience of Crestwood School and Dr. Roy Wilson LC kids.
“This gives them practical skills they need to put together a performance production at their schools later in their teaching careers,” explained Whidden. “I really wanted them to have some hands-on experience with that before they went out to their future careers.
“I wanted them to learn all the ins and out of doing a musical production, but also of being a teacher, and all the background things you have to do as a teacher to make your class work very well.”
Given the course was combined music/drama education, Whidden felt a musical was a perfect way for her students to put together everything they learned.
“It lent itself so well to do a musical because it pulled so well from both aspects,” she said. “I am pretty passionate about music and drama education, and I am pretty passionate about the whole genre of musical theatre.
“It just seemed like the perfect storm to have the students be in a musical like this; and they also ran the whole musical.”