House drama is a time honoured tradition at Woodford County High School. Although the premise of this event may be simple (each school house competes to see who can put on the best theatrical production), the execution is anything but. Lines are frantically learnt, dramatic expressions perfected and theatrical music is practised until the songs are forever stuck in the orchestras’ head. All for one event, when the audience waits hushed in the hall for the chance to laugh, sing along and yes, even cry.
This November, the plays chosen were Shrek the Musical, The Addams Family, Disney’s Hercules and Hairspray. Although all four productions were indeed vibrant, lively affairs with brilliant choreography and well-rehearsed scenes, Repton house took home the prize with their rendition of Hairspray. They won the category of Best Costume due to their funky 60s outfits and high hair (ironically held together with actual hairspray); Best Orchestra because of their upbeat tunes and many other awards.
Although it is great fun, these fantastic shows do not come without a lot of dedication and hard work. I interviewed four girls from the winning house, who described some of these challenges to me. For example, playing the lead love interest of Hairspray, Sugani Suganthan in year 12 told me that “it was hard knowing when to be on stage and channelling my inner guy.” Leah George, a dancer in the production, said “I would forget the dances really quickly after learning them.” Vanesha Mehta, another dancer, stated that “putting all the dances together with the orchestra was difficult as the tempo was different.” However clearly all these girls excelled at their various roles and were ecstatic in winning the competition.
Even though House Drama does come with its challenges, the girls also described how rewarding the whole experience was. Vanesha Mehta said that “it was very rewarding because a lot of effort went in remembering the moves and making sure everyone was coordinated with each other.” Leah George described it was rewarding in because she passed the audition even though she is not a dancer. This shows how House Drama shows people that they can try different things and still succeed, which illustrates the importance of the arts in schools.
