Year 4 Spring Performances
The Jungle Book KIDS was a triumph for showcasing the incredible talents of our Year 4 pupils! This cohort’s undeniable hunger to perform was matched by their immense creativity and dedication.
The ambitious production, directed and choreographed by The Beacon’s brilliant new Performing Arts Teacher, Manley Gavich, began in September as Year 4 studied the origins of the Jungle Book story, leading to lessons on traditional Indian performance art. They were also introduced to puppetry skills and took part in a specialised dance to bring the show’s acrobatic choreography to life.
Led by Music Director, Jane Voneshen, the pupils learnt to perform some of the most iconic musical numbers in Disney’s catalogue, including “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You.” It is clear from the smiles on their faces that the children had a blast throughout the entire process as they learnt to trust each other and work as a team.
Supported by our Head of Drama, Zenelle Oosthuizen, and our Head of Music, Karl Leutfeld, along with technical direction and support from former Beacon pupil, Rob Shaw and his sidekick Sidni Brener, our pupils also learned to work alongside top-notch technical theatre effects. We would like to highlight the cross-department collaboration which brought this production to the next level. A huge thank you to Michelle Jackson, Catherine Smith, and Danielle Reeve in our Art and Technology departments for their help in prop construction and scenic design, the Estates Team for their tireless work in the venue, our Year 4 teachers for their dedication to their pupils, our Senior Management Team for their contribution and care for the performing arts provision at The Beacon, and the Marketing Team for their organisation and ticketing operations. We are also thrilled to acknowledge the wonderful work of our parent costume volunteers led by Naomi McLaren, Emma Taylor, Emily McCarter and Jo Blaikie.
Director Manley commented:
“We are so proud of the boys! The Performing Arts team is already looking forward to the continued growth of this year group’s talent. We keep hearing parents and staff repeating this phrase: ‘If they can put on a production of this quality in Year 4, just imagine the possibilities when they’re in Year 6 and Year 8!'”
A huge congratulations to our Year 4 pupils – your hard work and dedication paid off with two sold out performances in the Spinney Theatre.
