SUNDRE – The Phantom of the Opera is poised to haunt the stage later this week with three performances of the musical being put on by the Sundre High School Drama Department.
Students have been busy preparing with the cast regularly rehearsing while the stage crew worked to finish the set design and getting the music and lighting figured out.
“This was an especially tough musical, with the intricate musicianship and arrangements,” said Corynn Sande, the drama department’s director as well as the school’s guidance counsellor.
“We also have had a large number of experienced drama students graduate and a large number of new drama students join us,” she said.
“So this was a heavy play for them to take on in their first year of high school.”
But Sande expressed a blend of confidence and optimism about the three upcoming performances scheduled for June 5-7 at the Sundre Arts Centre with each show starting at 7 p.m.
“The kids really stepped out of their comfort zones and are doing an outstanding job,” she said.
“The dedication and risk these students are willing to take never ceases to amaze me.”
The Phantom of the Opera is a classic tale that tells the story of a disfigured musical mastermind – played in this rendition by Wynter Schaafsma – who lurks in the underground maze of the Paris Opera House.
He develops an obsession with a young soprano, Christine – played by Claire Rich – and at first attempts to nurture her talents in the hopes of helping her become a star, but along the way falls in love with her in what ultimately devolves into a jealous rivalry as escalating confrontations with her childhood sweetheart, Raoul, played by Emma Scales, become increasingly dangerous.
