YHKCC students recently wowed the audiences with the musical, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
The applause at the end of Act 5 for the YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College (YHKCC) 10th Anniversary Musical “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was no figment of the imagination, nor were the accolades from the audience after the final performance on the evening of 10th July.
More than 120 cast members from the YHKCC took to the stage and wowed the audience in the school hall by presenting a musical adaptation of one of William Shakespeare’s best known comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. It is an unforgettable tale of love, magic, and mischief set in a mystical forest at the time when Theseus, the Duke of Athens, is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Strange adventures happen to four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors who are manipulated by the magical beings that inhabit the forest.
“I am very blessed and fortunate in Tung Chung community to have a secondary school performance of this superb quality. I am also very impressed that our young kids can put on such a professional show. It is fantastic!” said Dr. Alice Yuk, JP, School Supervisor, who watched the show on 10th July.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, with a cast of more than 120 and a backstage crew of over 50, dazzled the audiences with four spectacular performances: three on the evenings of 8th, 9th and 10th July and another which was especially for primary and secondary school students on the afternoon of 8th July.
The musical was directed and choreographed by Dr. Maureen Coulter, the teacher of Drama and English Literature. She said, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is one of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed plays, being especially popular with schools and amateur drama groups. The show requires a big cast and a high level of singing skills and excellent stage craft. It has been hard work – as well as a great deal of fun – and we have made it.”
The producer of the musical and Deputy Head of English, Miss Jessica Choi claimed, “This was an exhilarating experience for students and staff involved. We are tremendously proud of our dedicated cast and technical student crew for pulling off such breathtaking performances within such a limited amount of time.”
“We are really enjoying performing on the stage and we become a family, more so than ever,” said Christopher Olsson, a Form 3 student who was cast as Lysander in the musical.
Mr. Dion Chen, Acting Principal of the YHKCC, said, “This year is the school’s 10th Anniversary, and the 7th year that we have staged a musical ourselves. The musicals that we performed before were small scale in production. The cast has grown and now we have more than 120 students in this “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on stage, and many more are involved in singing, backstage support, costumes, lighting and sound, directing, etc.”
Mr. Chen continued to express his thanks, “I would like to express my gratitude to you for your presence with us, and to the students, teachers, parents and office staff who have worked so hard to deliver this high-quality performance. This is a complex and demanding show both from the musical and staging points of view. We believe that the musical is a great success, and we see our school as being on the road to excellence, and trust that our version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be another milestone on our journey to success. This is a culture that YHKCC is building for these ten years – a success culture. Once our students experience success in one area, such as having a great experience in a musical, they will be able to translate and transfer that to other areas, including their academic work and life skills.”
For more photos, please check out http://www.ymcacc.edu.hk/en/gallery/school_album/index.php?year=2013.
