Shark and Jets Showdown at DGS!
By Lauren, Entertainment and Lifestyle Editor
Something is coming…something big! Perhaps the biggest production ever put on at Dartford Grammar School. Pulling together the talent from year 8s to year 12s; the musicians, the dancers and the epic design and tech team, DGS bring to you: West Side Story!
West Side Story is a musical set in New York and is a 1960s Romeo and Juliet love story. But, throw into the mix: New York Street gangs, some rumbles, multiple dance numbers and a few deaths and you have got yourself West Side Story.
Rehearsals are currently commencing for the highly anticipated school production of 2018. Every Monday, the cast work hard rehearsing for Act One. Then, on Tuesdays, the wonderful singing rehearsals take place, as the production is a musical it highly relies on the particularly challenging singing and dancing.
There will also be a live orchestra on stage with some of the school’s best talent to accompany the action. Lastly, on Wednesdays, there are tough, gruelling dance rehearsals where the team learn the very difficult, technical dance moves for the play! It is such a huge effort and the cast need your support so their persistent hard work pays off.
What do the cast members think?
Marta Bax, who is in year 12 and playing Anita, said: “I’m super excited for the play. I think a possible issue many people were worried about was cast chemistry and whether we would all be able to work together- but that hasn’t been a problem at all. Everyone gets along very well and so far the entire experience has been fun and exciting, although the dancing does wear you out!”
The mingling between the years has definitely been a big aspect of this school production, but it seems that the cast always appear to get on very well and have a laugh and it is also of the main reasons that so many people audition. Thus proving how DGS has such a strong community and intermingling between the upper and lower school.
Josh Chapman, who is also in year 12 and playing Riff agreed, commenting: “Being a part of West Side Story allows me the opportunity to meet new people within school and work with them to nurture everyone’s talents and learn countless new skills along the way.”
Estimating to cost over £2000 to put on, the play is a must see. It is such an ambitious project that the school has been saving and waiting to do.
Mr Stevens, the director of West Side Story at DGS, commented: “West Side Story is a fantastic show that I saw on Broadway in 2009 which I was very inspired by; it was a bilingual production which I found very fascinating. I think the themes of the play are also particularly relevant today; ‘love is love’ regardless of someone’s ethnicity or sexuality which is a really important message to get across to people and theatre gives us this opportunity. Rehearsals are going well; I am very excited by what is happening. It is also great to have so many different members of staff involved in the project too from lots of different departments as well as students from all across the school, so we are all very much looking forward to the production!”
Theatre and the arts are such an important part of any school community and the effort and time that goes into producing such phenomenal shows is remarkable. The cast began rehearsals back in January and shall continue working on the show all the way up until the night before the show, showing immense dedication alongside their school work.
So choose your side, Jets or Sharks, and come and support the school production. Arriving at Dartford Grammar School on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of June!