Girton Grammar School has been granted the performance rights for Matilda the Musical and will be one of the first schools in Australia to stage the internationally acclaimed West End and Broadway show.
The Girton Grammar Senior School production of Matilda the Musical will be performed at Bendigo’s historic Capital Theatre and the announcement of the show has caused a buzz of excitement at the school.
Headmaster at Girton Grammar School, Mr Matthew Maruff, said that staff and students alike were overjoyed when they found out that the rights to perform the much-loved show were secured.
“Our Drama, Music and Theatre Tech students and teachers are furiously preparing for auditions and rehearsals.
“Even students not directly involved in Drama or Music are excited by the prospect of their peers and friends performing this particular show and I am sure it will entice many students to the stage for the first time.
“Generations of children and adults have enjoyed the ingenious imagination of Roald Dahl through his books. Bringing one of his beloved stories to life on stage will be a thrill for our students,” Mr Maruff said.
Matilda the Musical is written by playwright Dennis Kelly and features music and lyrics by Australian comedian, musician, and composer, Tim Minchin. The Royal Shakespeare Company musical has won over 85 international awards, including 16 for Best Musical. The show has been seen by 8 million people worldwide and has toured to over 68 cities and played more than 6,000 performances in the West End, on Broadway, and on tour internationally, including Australia.
“Through our Senior School production each year, we try to give our students an experience to remember and one that allows them to gain the skills to be involved in a professional show.
“The bar was raised high last year with Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure selling out three shows at the Ulumbarra Theatre, however, it is hard to imagine a musical show about an endearing school-girl genius, with deficient parents and an evil Headmistress not having universal appeal to a broad audience, and in classic Roald Dahl style, on multiple levels.
“The Girton Grammar School take on the show, like the Roald Dahl books, will be gloriously funny, a bit dark and impossible not to love,” Mr Maruff said.
