A cast and crew of more than 70 talented students, teachers and community volunteers are coming together as Delta Secondary’s theatre department presents a beloved classic.
Lionel Bart’s Oliver! hits the stage at Genesis Theatre for a five-night run beginning March 3.
Oliver! tells the tale of a boy who escapes from his orphanage and unites with a group of urchins trained to be purse-snatchers by a criminal. When Mr. Brownlow offers to shelter Oliver, the criminal plots to abduct Oliver and chaos ensues.
Director Karen Tsui is joined by Elaine Collins (assistant director and costume designer), Kathie Morrison (technical director), Ann Matterson (volunteer choreographer) and Stephanie Cates (public relations) as well as a talented cast (35) and crew (35) in grades 8 to 12.
Work on the production started in mid-September with casting. Tsui said it has been a long process, but now that the curtain is set to rise in a few days, everyone is really excited to bring the story to life.
“It was Elaine’s idea. After last year’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee we were throwing around a few ideas and she came up with Oliver!,” said Tsui. “Oliver! fit our cast, fit our kids.”
Collins said the show is a classic that supports a large cast and is one they felt the community would embrace.
“The first week of school the audition packages went out and the casting began,” said Collins. “Rehearsals were twice a week and after Christmas we went to three days a week. We also did a mall promo recently at Tsawwassen Mills, which was really good energy building and confidence building for the kids.”
Tsui said through that promo event you could really see the ensemble coming together.
“They really support each other. At some point it becomes their show and that is where we are at,” she said.
Collins said the mix of veterans and newcomers provides opportunities for mentorship and growth amongst the cast.
“There are a lot of kids that are also training through voice, dance or acting outside of school, so they bring a different talent and perspective,” said Collins. “They help feed each other, so it’s nice to see how they look after each other and help each other along.”
Grade 12 student Bryce Malenstyn plays Fagin. He said he felt the character was one he was well-suited to play.
“He is kind of a fun guy, but he is also a villain and an anti-hero, which is cool,” Malenstyn said. “This is my third production with DSS and I have done nine with Delta Youth Theatre. Oliver is one of my first classic shows, so it’s fun to do something that is not a Disney modern musical. I find that it expands our knowledge as a cast and also makes the overall knowledge as an actor how to be a good performer because I’m more versatile now and I can play older characters as well.”
Grade 11 student Cooper Anderson plays Nancy.
“I haven’t done a lot of theatre before, so it’s one of my first times actually being a lead character,” said Anderson. “She is very sassy and head-strong – a strong female character and she does a lot of singing and I wanted to do that.”
Grade 9 student Zoe Rapos plays the lead role of Oliver.
“I actually auditioned for ensemble, but was asked to read for the lead,” said Rapos. “It’s been a lot of fun. We have a great cast. Everyone is super nice, just like a big family. A lot of us are in DYT, so that helps.”
Grade 10 student Taylor Deane plays Dodger.
“He is a real fun character and it’s different than a lot of normal roles, especially since I’m a girl playing a boy’s role. It’s challenging, but also very fun,” said Deane. “Usually at this point in the show I would be nervous, but the show has really come along. We have more complicated choreography, which I think drove people to try harder and put in more effort, which makes the show better in general.”
Oliver! runs March 3 to 7 at Genesis Theatre. Tickets are $15 for all seats. The box office is open from 11:45 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. and 3 to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday or call 604-940-0069 for tickets.
