Grades One and Two students at Niverville Elementary lit up the stage this week with their rendition of Toys! The Night They Come Alive! The show, written by John Jacobson and John Higgins, was performed the nights of December 17 – 18 at the Niverville Community Fellowship.
“As you can imagine, the toys wrapped under the tree in fact do come alive,” says music teacher Susan Simcoe. “There is glee under the tree! The rag dolls rock, the teddy bears tango, soldiers don’t know where they’re going or what they’re doing, princesses come to the rescue, and puppets are off their strings. Jack in the Box is totally mixed up and can’t quite remember what holiday we are celebrating, and Santa arrives just in time to see beautiful ribbon dancers and singers gather together to sing of wonderful Christmas dreams.”
Simcoe says that she began practicing in the music room with the students the first week of November. The speaking roles, which were assigned just last week, were worked on in separate rooms with the help of classroom teachers.
“It is a team effort to put on a small musical like this,” she says. “We had costumes come in from staff members, props made by our amazing secretary Aimee Bergmann, and the gym is a stage for four days, so [gym teacher] Mrs. Doell graciously adapted her classes to accommodate us.”
It all came together in two rehearsals a few days ago in which all one hundred students performed the singing, dancing, and speaking parts for the first time.
Simcoe describes the experience as a whirlwind. “Watching the students learn the music and choreography is really spectacular. They keep trying and working hard, and eventually they all put it together. This kind of program is new for this age and watching them during the performance and how magical and exciting it is to be in stage with the lights and all their costumes and of course the show is priceless. Preparing, practicing, and performing develops so many skills that kids will see beneficial in other areas of their life.”
