Oliver! Jr. Program

LIONEL BART'S

THE MUSICAL J .

Consider yourself at home with Lionel Bart’s classic musical based on the Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and is widely hailed as a true theatrical masterpiece by actors and audience members alike.

The streets of Victorian England come to life as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, becomes the neglected apprentice of an undertaker. Oliver escapes to London and finds acceptance amongst a group of petty thieves and pickpockets led by the elderly Fagin. When Oliver is captured for a theft that he did not commit, the benevolent victim, Mr. Brownlow takes him in.

Fearing the safety of his hideout, Fagin employs the sinister Bill Sikes and the sympathetic Nancy to kidnap him back, threatening Oliver’s chances of discovering the true love of a family.

ENJOY THE SHOW!

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ARTS NORA HAMMOND '98

It is both a pleasure and a privilege to warmly welcome you to HSC’s 2022-2023 performing arts season in the Virtue-Fitzgerald Centre. Such wonderful moments await, and students and faculty alike cannot wait to share them with you!

The power with which the performing arts have come roaring back to life after being shuttered for so long is an undeniable testament to their intrinsic and vital role in our community and in our lives. As ever, the arts bring us together, and the passion and dedication that our HSC students bring to their involvement in productions and musical ensembles is truly inspiring to us all.

Whether you are here to see a theatrical or musical performance, we have no doubt that you will be delighted by the collaborative creative spirit that is thriving at HSC, and we are confident that you will be back for more!

Our productions of Clue! and The Wizard of Oz showcase the marvelous breadth of dramatic, comedic and vocal talent in the Senior School. Our Middle School performance of Oliver! Jr. is sure to be a tour-de-force display of the incredible energy and courage of our Middle School students, as well as the dedication and brilliance of the cross-College faculty team behind the scenes. This year, for the first time since 2019, a phenomenally talented crew of staff, alumni and parents will have you in stitches (or should I say staples?) with our truly zany and hilarious Staff, Alumni, Parent production of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.

If you are here to see a musical performance, our student ensembles from the youngest to the oldest grades will wow onstage, and you will be blown away (pun intended) by our Hot Jazz on a Cold Night concert. This year’s concert features our amazing HSC Junior and Senior Jazz ensembles, paired with a performance by Juno award-winning Toronto saxophonist Allison Au and her quartet, featuring special guest, our very own HSC alumni and internationally acclaimed trumpet player Darren Johnston ’91!

As you can see (and hear), the arts are alive and well at HSC. We are so thrilled that you are here to celebrate the beating heart of our HSC community through song, dance, drama and collective music-making. Enjoy the show!

A MESSAGE FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL KIM KNIAZ

A heartfelt congratulations to each and every member of the cast and crew of the Middle School musical production of Oliver! JR.! The months of dedication and hard work have brought the HSC community together for three joyful performances of creativity and music - thank you!

I know the cast and crew have grown as a team and as individuals through this process; I’ve seen the pride in your eyes as your self-confidence grows after each rehearsal, heard the excitement in your voice as you describe your contributions to the production team, and understand the resilience and perseverance you’ve demonstrated each day as you took risks and tried something new. Each of you has so much to be proud of!

A very special thank you to the talented adults who make meaningful co-curricular activities like the musical possible. Under the passionate leadership of Ms Gutauskas, a team of faculty and staff has nurtured a safe space for students to take risks, learn, grow, and express themselves creatively. Thank you for your endless energy, encouragement, and support. Bravo!

DIRECTOR'S NOTE ONA GUTAUSKAS

Thank you for attending and supporting today’s Middle School production of Oliver! JR. As you can imagine, the planning process for this winter-term activity started early. During a backyard conversation with the musical team last June, we decided to follow our recent production of Matilda JR. with what struck us as a complementary tale of resilience. We were all well-acquainted with pushing through pandemic obstacles in order to stage last year’s show, so sticking with the theme of perseverance seemed to be a good fit! Indeed, Oliver’s fight against injustice is one that resonates across generations, and the catchy tunes make the musical a must-see for the theatre community. Like the Dickensian tale upon which it is based, Oliver! JR. takes a light and often comedic approach to difficult Victorian-era realities: the rigid class system, toxic relationships, corruption, untimely death, and orphanhood. If you have never encountered characters like Fagin, Widow Corney, or The Artful Dodger, you are in for a treat. Stories like this always remind me to breathe reflectively into the privilege we inhabit today—one not only of dramatically-improved human rights but also this special context of HSC’s vibrant community.

It has been an honour to take on the role of Director for this year’s Middle School production; however, I couldn’t have survived it without the support of the amazing production and creative team. A huge thanks to my colleagues, Nora Hammond, Brandon Prodger, Taryn Fleming, Adrienne Kee, Amber Mills, Theresa Sutch, and Aleecia Brunberg for their patience, guidance, and considerable elbow grease. Thanks also to our costume and set design aficionados, Gail Vedelago and Graham Clements, for helping to make everything look so good! Parent volunteers have also been working hard behind the scenes, and teacher volunteers have been instrumental in helping with student supervision during the in-between times. Thanks to Erica Molinaro for stepping in for Taryn as she departed on her maternity leave. I’m eternally grateful for this talented crew. Enjoy the show!

ACT 1

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

Oliver, Workhouse Governors, Orphans, Servants, Chefs, Mr. Bumble, Widow Corney

INCIDENTAL MUSIC INTO OLIVER (PART 1)

Mr. Bumble, Orphans

OLIVER

Mr. Bumble, Widow Corney, Orphans

BOY FOR SALE

Mr. Bumble

WHERE IS LOVE? Oliver

CONSIDER YOURSELF

Dodger, Oliver, Fagin’s Gang, All

PICK A POCKET OR TWO Fagin, Fagin’s Gang

RUM-TUM-TUM Fagin

IT’S A FINE LIFE Nancy, Bet, Fagin’s Gang

I’D DO ANYTHING Dodger, Nancy, Oliver, Fagin, Fagin’s Gang

BE BACK SOON Dodger, Fagin, Fagin’s Gang

OOM-PAH-PAH

Nancy, Customers

MY NAME

Bill Sikes

AS LONG AS HE NEEDS ME

Nancy

WHERE IS LOVE (REPRISE)

Mrs. Bedwin

WHO WILL BUY (PART 1)

Rose Seller, Milkmaid, Strawberry Seller, Knife Grinder, Oliver

WHO WILL BUY (PART 2)

Market Sellers, Oliver, Rose Seller

IT’S A FINE LIFE (REPRISE)

Bet, Nancy, Fagin, Sikes, Dodger

REVIEWING THE SITUATION

Fagin

OLIVER (REPRISE)

Mr. Bumble, Widow Corney

AS LONG AS HE NEEDS ME (REPRISE) Nancy

LONDON BRIDGE All BOWS All

CAST

MR. BUMBLE ........................................................................... Nicholas Szpakowski

WIDOW CORNEY ............................................. Radha Maria Vargas-Saravanamuttu

OLIVER TWIST ....................................................................... Sophie Campbell-Mills

MR. SOWERBERRY ........................................................................... Valeria Caruana

MRS. SOWERBERRY .................................................................................. Anne Voss

CHARLOTTE CLAYPOLE......................................................................... Calista Cahill

NOAH CLAYPOLE .......................................................................... Declan Hammond

THE ARTFUL DODGER ......................................................................... Lilly Bernstein

CAPTAIN ...................................................................................................... Jimmy Li

HANDWALKER ....................................................................................... Eliza Hutton

CHARLIE BATES ................................................................................. Leila Jasarevic

FAGIN ......................................................................................................Aaron Parasu

NIPPER ............................................................................................. Wilson Langton

NANCY .................................................................................................. Annie Collins

BET ..................................................................................................... Olivia Mattatall

MR. BROWNLOW ..................................................................................... Lamar Attar

BILL SIKES .......................................................................................... Esmé Vedelago

CHAIRMAN ........................................................................................ Nanaki Dhanoa

MRS. BEDWIN ................................................................................... Diya Chhabriya

MILKMAID ................................................................................... Madelene Bentham

STRAWBERRY SELLER .................................................................... Elizabeth Lerner

KNIFE GRINDER ................................................................................... Sabrina Kiung

ROSE SELLER ............................................................................................ Yupi Finley

DR. GRIMWIG .................................................................. Niamh Mercer (Thurs./Fri.)

Jimmy Li (Sat.)

WORKHOUSE GOVERNORS ............................................................. Valeria Caruana

Alisha Hemani

Aaron Parasu

Veronica Taranu-Smith

Esmé Vedelago

CAST

MATRON ................................................................................................... Ella Adams

OLD SALLY .................................................................................... Audrey McNamee CHEFS .................................................................................................. Sabrina Kiung

Anne Voss

SERVANTS ............................................................................................... Lamar Attar

Annie Collins

Olivia Mattatall

Willow Norman

MAID .................................................................................................. Willow Norman

DELIVERY PERSON ................................................................................... Ariel Zare

FAGIN’S GANG ........................................................................................ Nava Anvari

Evie Dawn

Maia Embuldeniya-Fernando

Aishu Harish

Nicola Hutton

Clara Sheridan

Katie Stubbs

Tessa Tierney

LAMPLIGHTER ............................................................................................ James Li

POLICE ................................................................................................ Alisha Hemani

Veronica Taranu-Smith

SHOPPERS ......................................................................................... Victoria Minetti

Niamh Mercer

Esmé Vedelago, Annie Collins

Olivia Mattatall

CLERGY .................................................................................... Nicholas Szpakowski

James Li

LAUNDRY LADY ................................................................................ Diya Chhabriya

WRESTLERS .................................................................................. Declan Hammond

Vincent Schneider

BEHIND THE SCENES

STAGE CREW AND PROPS

Jahmai Arimoro, Nathaniel Chan, Marcus Chen, Jack Clifford, Sarah Deline, Emily Drumm, Lily Drumm, Gabriela Fimognari, Juliet Finley, Ismael Eyyubov, Arjun Grewal, Abi Guy, Ahana Kulkarni, Molly Ma, Calvin Mao, Andrew Matos, Marco Mayens, Liam McKnight, Aria Rogers, Maria Titov, Viann Whatley, Eason Zhang

LIGHTING

Nathaniel Broughton ’22, Juliet Finley

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

COSTUMES, HAIR AND MAKEUP

Busola Arimoro, Gunay Bayramova, Renata Cahill, Sharmila Chhabriya, Agnes Chmiel, Susan Ciancone, Linda Comley, Jaynne Constantin, Victoria Dawn, Tina Dhenon, Gaya Embuldeniya, Oshan Fernando, Caroline Hutton, Eeva Kastikainen-Jones, Earla Kwok, Bonnie Lendrum, Cheryl Main, Marta Nespoli, Valeria Neumann, Kathryn Rumbold, Suzanne Schneider, Toni Simpson, Meaghan Stowe McKnight, Rhian Thomas-Parasu, Brandon Vedelago ’98, Gail Vedelago, Nancy Wands, Joyce Wilton, Michelle Zare

PRODUCTION TEAM

To view our photo gallery, visit galleries.hsc.on.ca/middle

PLEASE JOIN US IN THE KEMPER LOUNGE FOR REFRESHMENTS FOLLOWING THE SHOW.

LIONEL

THE MUSICAL

BART'S

MUSICAL J .

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Hillfield Strathallan College is situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas.

This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabek and other Indigenous nations to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. As members of the learning community at HSC, we are committed to honouring this covenant by working alongside our Indigenous neighbours and building a sustainable relationship with the land that we all cherish.

LIONEL BART'S

THE MUSICAL J .

SPECIAL THANKS

A special thanks to to RP Dynamics, HSC Food Services, parent volunteers, parents of alumni volunteers, faculty volunteers, administration, the Communications Team, maintenance staff, student volunteers, and student participants who all worked together to make this production possible!