School Musical

Throughout this season, we were able to use our collaboration skills to help each other and form new friendships and become stronger as a team. We should all be proud of ourselves for how much we’ve improved from the beginning of the cycle. Although we came in second and third places in SAIKAC, we could see great improvements since RSAC. We all are proud of each and everyone in our team. The Grade 8s would like to say a special thank you and goodbye to our coaches for an amazing last year of U14. We hope the Grade 7s and other upcoming U14 players will continue to make developments. At the end of the day, this season will be unforgettable for all of us.

TKS Musical

By Samuel Paterson Student Director, G11

At the start of the school year, the TKS Arts Department took on one of its most ambitious projects: We Will Rock You. The cast and crew only had a few months to prepare for this two-and-a-half-hour-long Queen-inspired musical. It was set out to be the most impressive, technically breathtaking, and entertaining performance ever put on by TKS.

The cast was chosen in September. Two months later, they were performing. The whole company was met with extreme trials and troubles with no choice but to rise to the challenge!

And so it begins...

On day 1, each actor was given the task of devising the features of their character: the walk, the talk, the reactions. In the first week, we blocked scenes, learned lines, choreographed new dances- we would continue to do this for many months.

I remember watching Ms. Phume, the director, teaching Galileo Figaro one of the dances. After each take, he is out of breath. He continues to sing and run and denies his exhaustion’s appropriation. He works hard for his part. I can see it in him as I watch him. He listens intently and performs to the absolute best of his ability.

The show must go on!

On the performance night, Galileo exits stage left, drenched in sweat. He has just sung and danced Under Pressure, and he is as heated as he looks. Crew surrounds him, myself included, to fan him, wipe his sweat, and get him water. He can barely speak. Five minutes later, he enters the stage from the audience, and the spectators can’t notice any difference.

Following him on stage is Scaramouche, his chick. In her acting, her singing, her dancing, she puts her heart. Everyone watching is in awe of her talent and dedication. She has put days of work into every single aspect of her actions, and anyone watching can tell. She exhibits pure eminence when onstage. Her very presence draws the audience’s attention.

Behind the scenes

Now onstage, to Scaramouche’s right is the student producer. With her headset on, she watches the show and communicates with the lights and sound crew. After many minutes, she hears the cue for the end of the scene. The lights go down, and her crew rushes on stage, rapidly moving in boxes and chairs. As silent ninjas, the audience barely takes any notice of the backstage crew, meaning they did their job precisely. They, along with the technical crew, successfully changed the stage from a wasteland to the Hard Rock Café in less than a minute.

Drawing to a close

An hour later, the show is drawing to a close. The show’s finale, Bohemian Rhapsody, will be on soon, and I wait on the side with my fellow co-director and other crew prefects. We never go on stage, but for Bohemian Rhapsody, it’s too much to resist rushing on with our eccentric wigs and vibrant feather boas. We run on and stand next to the cast, smiling at them and each other. We sing our hearts out, and the audience gives a standing ovation.

Galileo Figaro is at the front of the crowd, with the other leads at his side. I look at his back and think about everything that we did to get here. We put on this performance for the KAUST community, but we also put it on for ourselves. Singing and dancing out Queen songs is probably the most spectacular way to perform for two hours. Galileo, Scaramouche, the Killer Queen, Commander Khashoggi, Buddy, Brit and Oz, the Gaga kids, the Bohemians, the co-directors, producers, technical directors, costume designers, sound and lighting prefects, we all worked to get to this glorious moment on this glorious stage.

Of course, this performance couldn’t have been such a fabulous event without the teachers and crew involved in bringing this to true life. Ms. Phume, Mr. Webb, Mr. Eduardo, Ms. Rita, Ms. Robin, Ms. Nahla, Mrs. Danaher, and Mrs. Hubbard worked hard in collaboration with the company. I, along with the rest of the cast and crew, would like to thank all the exceptional professionals for their guidance and support.

!Buddy puts his fist in the air, and the ensemble follows suit. Long live rock and roll

TKS Musical

We Will Rock You

By Sama Hammad

G12 Student

I am Sama Hammad, a senior at The KAUST School. I have been a part of this school since 2009. My journey started when I was in K-3. Through my Middle School Programme, I joined many Musicals. I started out as an Orchestra member in "Doctor Do Little," playing the cello. I then started auditioning for acting roles. I became an actress in "Alice through the I-phone" and "Beauty and the Beast." When I started my Diploma Programme journey, I wanted to do something different. Because I decided to study Theatre as a higher level subject, I was granted endless experiences with directing and putting my creativity on the frontlines for the world to see; an example would be my Solo theatre pieces and in-class activities. I joined our school's film, "FAME!" as a student director who worked alongside our principal director Ms. Phumelele Ngcobo. For my final year at the school, I applied for the exact position of student director and succeeded. By far, this year's experience was the most memorable. Last year, I was timid and tense, scared of suggesting directorial ideas and being rejected. Since it is my final year, I did not limit myself.

Additionally, the environment built by the cast and crew was welcoming. There were so many days where I would be drained and tried, and the cast and crew would make me regain my lost energy with our inside jokes, dances, and fun times. The bond we shared was one a family would, so thank you all for that!