Tim Barklay at Moree Christian School ahead of the school’s production of The Wind in the Willows. Photo: Lesley Ann Barklay.
Months of rehearsals and preparation will come together this Friday when 49 Moree Christian School students bring The Wind in the Willows to the stage.
But only about 23 of them will be in front of the audience. The rest are helping make the production happen, working across lighting, sound, backstage management, props, makeup, costumes and other production roles.
It is the culmination of a project that began in the opening weeks of the school year and has grown from regular weekday rehearsals to additional three-hour Saturday sessions as opening night approached.
English and creative and performing arts teacher Tim Barklay has watched the production develop from expressions of interest in week one and auditions in week two, through rehearsals every Wednesday and every second Friday afternoon.
Over the past month, Saturdays have been added to the schedule as the cast and crew worked to bring all the pieces together.
And there are plenty of pieces.
While the actors are learning lines and developing characters, students behind the scenes have been learning the less visible work of theatre. Mr Barklay has students operating lighting and spotlights, another learning sound, as well as backstage managers, stage crews, a prop master, makeup artists, dressing room managers and students working with costumes and design.
Some of those students have returned to technical roles after working on previous school productions, bringing experience as others take on new responsibilities.
On stage, their classmates are stepping into the familiar world of Mole, Ratty, Badger and, inevitably, Toad.
The play, by Allen Bennett and adapted from Kenneth Grahame’s novel, begins with Mole abandoning his spring cleaning for the wider world. His adventures introduce him to Ratty and Badger, but it is Toad and his dangerous enthusiasm for motorcars that sends the story careering into trouble.
Mr Barklay said the adaptation brought more action to a story generations have grown up with.
“It takes the story that we all know from our childhoods and introduces it with a little bit more action and makes it really accessible for the stage,” he said.
At the centre of that action is Emmet Ross as Toad.
Ross is already familiar with substantial roles in the school’s productions, having played King John in its previous production of Robin Hood. This time, he takes on a character whose obsession with motorcars causes no shortage of problems for those around him.
Riley Jackson has another of the production’s distinctive roles as Albert the horse, an employee of Toad. Mr Barklay said Jackson had taken particularly well to the character.
Then there is Tobi Allen as Chief Weasel, leading the weasels, stoats and ferrets with plans to take over Toad Hall and turn it to their own advantage.
Together, the characters give the students plenty to work with, but for Mr Barklay the production is also about what happens beyond the audience’s view.
A school production involving 49 students requires the performers, technical crew and backstage teams to arrive at the same point at the same time. After months spent developing those individual parts, a full-day rehearsal this week gave the group one of its final opportunities to put the complete show together.
Mr Barklay admitted the familiar pre-opening desire for just a little more rehearsal time was still there.
“I would love another couple of weeks to tighten the screws, but that’s always the case with these kinds of things,” he said.
Still, he was confident in the students.
“I trust that the kids will be ready and perform really well.”
On Friday night, the months of rehearsals will finally become a performance.
For about 23 students, that will mean walking onto the stage. For the others, it will mean taking their places behind it, at the lights, sound, props, costumes and backstage positions that help make sure the audience sees a finished show rather than all the work required to create one.
The Wind in the Willows opens at the Moree Christian School COLA, 409 Chester Street, Moree, on Friday, August 21.
Performances will be held from 7pm to 9pm on Friday, August 21; Saturday, August 22; Thursday, August 27; and Friday, August 28.
Tickets are $15, with children under three admitted free. Tickets for Wind in the Willlows are available through TryBooking
