The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Madness musical big hit with young performers
Dips in the confidence of young people due to the pandemic have been blasted away through rehearsals for a musical, says one director.
Kris Mordente, director of Madness musical Our House, at Dundee Schools Musical Theatre (DSMT), says he has seen the social effects of the pandemic on young people involved “turned on their head”.
The show, which the company began rehearsing last October, will open at Gardyne Theatre on Wednesday.
The 23-strong cast is made up of S4-6 pupils from schools across Dundee and Angus, with every secondary school in the city represented.
Kris, who is also a drama teacher at Harris Academy, said: “We definitely saw young people’s confidence and resilience have a wee bit of a dip, but here at DSMT we’ve certainly seen that turn on its head.
“At the start, a lot of them came in tentatively and stayed within their school groups, but that changed as we mixed up the groups – it’s all about coming together as one to put on a performance.
“Maybe it was a slightly slower start, but with the people we’ve got in the room it came back within a few weeks and it was just like old times.”
The group finished a three-day residential stay in St Andrews, where they have been rehearsing and putting the finishing touches to the show.
Prior to this, another DSMT group of 54 pupils in S1-3 also had a residential rehearsal session for their show, High School Musical, which comes to the stage the following week.
Theo Burke, 17, who has been involved with DSMT since he was in S1, said one of the best things about it is meeting new people and making new friends.
Theo, who plays lead role Joe in Our House, said: “I’ve met a lot of people from all different backgrounds and all walks of life.
“During the break because of Covid, I sort of became more distant from my friends at DSMT and closer to my school friends.”
Having just finished S6 at St John’s High School, Theo said coming back to do another show in his final year of school has allowed him to reconnect with friends.
He is now going to study medicine at Dundee University, and said DSMT has taught him many useful transferable skills, such as taking direction from others and teamwork.
Co-star Sophie Roden, also 17 and a former St John’s High School pupil, plays the lead female role, Sarah.
She said: “I’ve always liked singing and had seen the DSMT posters about school and wanted to give it a try.
“It’s been quite a lot of work, but I’ve learned so many new things – improved my dancing and acting skills.
“And I’ve gained the ability to make new friends.
“I would probably be quite shy otherwise, but now I’m able to connect with new people through dancing and musical stuff and seeing what they enjoy as well.”
Sophie, who will study modern history and philosophy at St Andrews University, said she intends to carry on her interest by joining a theatre group at university.
Our House runs from August 17 to 20 at the Gardyne Theatre, while High School Musical runs from August 24 to 27.
Tickets for both shows are available to buy from Dundee Box Office.