Aladdin JR 2022!
On the 7th July 2022, PACA played host to the school production of Aladdin JR. The cast and crew have been preparing for this performance since January during enrichment sessions, as well as many, many hours of after school and weekend rehearsals.
Whether working backstage, acting, singing or dancing, every member of the cast and crew displayed admirable commitment to the process and were duly rewarded by the rapturous applause of an enchanted audience.
Notable performances included:
Archie (Y9) played the evil Jafar, with sinister charisma, ably assisted by his sidekick, Iago played by Layton (Y8) who brought impeccable timing and humour to the role. During rehearsals, Archie was also a key cast member, leading warm ups and generally injecting energy into proceedings!
Ruqaya (Y8) played Jasmine with intelligent sensitivity, subtly conveying the Princess’ growing understanding of and dissatisfaction with the world. In this, she is caught between the encouragement of her friends (Imogen & Rio Y8, Kira Y10) and the over protective Sultan (Esme Y9) who attempts to protect her from the cruel reality of life outside “these palace walls”.
Matthew, Nedas and Tom (Y8) brought humour and energy to their roles as Aladdin’s fellow thieves, Babkak, Omar and Kassim. This represented a particular achievement for Matthew who picked up the role relatively late in the rehearsal process, learning lines almost overnight! While Lily’s (Y9) portrayal in the role of Aladdin was a highlight of the production and showed the audience just what a talented and engaging performer she is.
Last, but by no means least, we must acknowledge the outstanding performance of our larger than life Genie (Vanda Y10) who had the audience laughing throughout.
Thanks go to Ms Toledano, Mrs Rodgers, Ms Wilson, Ms Abadir and Ms Edge for supporting the students in bringing this story to life.
"It was a great experience that really built my confidence!" Ruqaya
"It was really fun as I got to do the things I enjoy such as dancing, acting and making new friends." Maisie
"It was massive job to pull the production together and took a lot of time, but we all grew to become like a big family." Archie
Aladdin JR
