When audience members come to St. Francis Junior High School’s “Aladdin Jr.” production this week, they’re going to see a “professional show,” even though the cast is junior high students.
Director and teacher Dino Caputo says all productions at the school are not junior high shows in a gymnasium. “We take a lot of pride in that. We strive for excellence with everything we do. We always shoot for perfection.”
First off, Caputo notes, there is an amazing transformation that happens to the gym. “You wouldn’t even think it’s a gym.”
“There’s no other school around that would give up their gym space for upwards of 10 days. But we worked together with Phys Ed to come up with a plan, so there’s no education that’s missed,” adds Caputo.
This production marks the 22nd annual musical Caputo has been a part of.
“We start our process in October with auditions. We hope to have our cast usually by early November and they start rehearsals. We start with choreography and music, and we move onto putting everything together into what you see is our final product,” Caputo explains. There are 65 cast members and over 10 off-stage crew members.
Each year, it’s a group decision to figure out what musical will be on-tap for the season.
“We had done ‘Aladdin’ 13 years ago. When you’ve done shows 22 different times, you eventually repeat yourself the odd time,” says Caputo. “It’s a fun show and it’s a different script from the last time we did it, so there’s still some originality to it and a different song.”
Cast member Hannah Haley, who has been involved in other productions over the years, says the show has been a great experience. “It’s nice to see the new people come in and find a space where they feel welcome.”
Ben Hunt who plays the lead role in the musical says the show was a lot of work, but it “ends up paying off.”
“The memories you make with the family of the cast, it’s a great experience. It’s been a lot of fun doing the shows here,” adds Hunt.
“Aladdin Jr.” runs Tuesday through Saturday. For more information visit online at sfjh.holyspirit.ab.ca.