My name is Amy, and I am currently in Grade 7. Last week, I had the honour to play Jack Kelly in the recent Heschel production of Newsies Jr. One of my first theatre memories is from when I was three years old and watched my oldest brother Evan play Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof when he was a Heschel student.
The Heschel play has been a tradition for many years at our school and I am so fortunate to be a part of it. The cast began rehearsals in January, meeting on Wednesdays and some Sundays. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and patience to put a show together.
Children from Grade 3 – 8 sign up for this extracurricular activity where we all get to work together as a team and share our talents. We are so lucky to have The Players Theatre Company, run by alumni parent Lynn Weintraub, come to direct and produce the school show! Lynn and her awesome team guide and support all of the Heschel students involved.
From singing, to acting and dancing, the end result is always something to look forward to. And once again, this year’s show was a huge success! In addition to the Grade 3 – 8 performers, audience members were so excited to watch the Jr. Players featured during one of the musical numbers!
Jr. Players, ranging from SK – Grade 2, sign up for their own drama class with The Players Theatre Company on a different day. For many of the Jr. Players this was their first time ever performing, and they were adorable!
I was once a Jr. Player and then moved up to the Mainstage group. I remember being in Grade 3 and watching and learning from the big kids. Now it’s my turn – I love working with the younger kids, and hope to inspire them to continue to make the Heschel play a fan favourite year after year!
