SINT MAARTEN (CUL DE SAC) – The Philipsburg Cultural Center will be transformed into the fictitious Arabian city of Agrabah, when St. Maarten Academy and the Charlotte Brookson Academy for the Performance Arts (CBA) stage a joint performance of “Aladdin”, on Thursday, October 3, 2019, with a repeat performance on Friday October 4, 2019. Showtime on both nights is 7:00 pm.
The musical features an ensemble cast of young and talented actors, ranging between the ages of 12 and 18 years. The titular role is played by Tyreke Arrindell, a fifth-form student of CBA, while the role of Princess Jasmine is played by Giselle Whinfield (Jazzy), a fourth-form student of St. Maarten Academy.
Actors took to the Boardwalk last Saturday to give a preview of their performance and raise funds for the event. Some of the 50-member cast have also done several radio interviews and have been interviewed by their peers, since the play ties in with their English and Drama curriculum at school.
Organizers are encouraging patrons to be on time Thursday and Friday nights, as the Cultural Centre has limited seating and tickets are open for either evening.
Aladdin tells the story of Princess Jasmine who feels stifled by her father’s desire to find her a royal suitor. After sneaking out of the palace into the market place, she meets Aladdin, a charming street urchin and reformed thief. They are discovered together, and Aladdin is sentenced to death. However, he is saved by the villainous Jafar (played by second-former Rashad Rombley of St. Maarten Academy), the sultan’s right-hand man who is plotting to take over the throne. He orders Aladdin to fetch a lamp from the Cave of Wonders.
Where there’s a lamp, there’s a Genie, and Aladdin unintentionally releases this one! With his new identity as “Prince Ali”, he tries to win Jasmine’s heart. Daniel Fearon, a Fourth-form student of St. Maarten Academy, plays the role of the Genie.
The production is directed by St. Maarten Academy English Language, Literature, and Drama teacher, Ms. Joanna Trim, and co-directed by Ms. Melissa Hamm, Theatre Arts teacher at CBA, along with Mrs. Arlene Halley of the National Institute for the Arts (NIA) and the talented Ms. Sue-Ann A’gol, student of CBA.
This is the second local production to be directed by Ms. Trim, who last December helmed St. Maarten Academy’s Christmas staging of an adaptation of O. Henry’s classic “The Gift of the Magi”. It was performed to a sold-out audience at the Philipsburg Cultural Center.
Speaking on “Aladdin”, Ms. Trim stated that the collaboration demonstrates that “through our students everyone achieves more.” She further stated that “although this project was the most challenging activity since Hurricane Irma,” she knowingly chose to embark on it as it is her firm belief that on an island like St. Maarten, with very little natural resources, “it behooves us to teach our youthful population that in order to lead successful lives and attain great successes, they must be able to appreciate the differences in each other, agree to disagree, make good compromises and ultimately unite – for in unity there is great strength.”
Tickets for this “can’t miss two-day extravaganza” cost $10 for children ages 6 to 17 years, and $20 for adults. They are on sale at the main offices of both schools. Everyone is invited to come experience “a whole new world” of theater! Agrabah awaits!
Source: Souliga Newsday https://www.soualiganewsday.com/index.php?option=com-k2&view=item&id=27632:st-maarten-academy,-charlotte-brookson-academy-collaborate-for-aladdin-musical&Itemid=451
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