Roaring Applause For The Lion King

Let me begin by saying that, prior to living in Lüderitz, I have never so much as taught a drama lesson before so when I decided to put on a production of The Lion King with a group of students from Lüderitz Secondary School I had my work cut out for me.

After just under two months of frantic rehearsing, song learning, line memorising, costume making and play promoting I had experienced the same steep learning curve that my young cast had received and standing backstage on the night of the performance with a group of excited African animals, anxiously peeping through the stage curtains at the gathering crowd, I was just as nervous as they were.

It was with a huge amount of pride then that I watched the group of 26 learners take to the stage on Thursday 16th July to act and sing with as much enthusiasm as they could muster. Dressed in monochrome and wearing colourful handmade masks depicting a variety of African animals, the entire cast put their hearts and souls into their performance.

Whilst I may not be the most objective source on the nights show, having worked with the cast from the auditions right through to the performance, what I can say with absolute certainty is that the group of students that took part in the production are a fantastic and fun bunch and have made my job a privilege. Despite missed rehearsals, botched lines and a noisy (sometimes irrepressible) backstage room, my first experience of directing has been a thoroughly enjoyable one and I wish every cast member the very best in the future.