Matilda panto steps up techno-wizardry

FINISH: Dancer Jessica Leach.PHOTOS/ANDREW BONALLACK

The Geraldine Inder School of Dance and Drama is stepping up the techno-wizardry for its annual production this year that will help spotlight hundreds of young Wairarapa dancers.

Brigitte De Barletta said the cast and crew of the 2015 production, Our Matilda, held a three hour-long full dress rehearsal for the show, which this year features "fabulous costumes", hundreds of dancers aged from 4 to 18, and a new lighting score that includes images projected on to backdrops.

The Masterton shows are based on the children's novel Matilda, by Roald Dahl. The vaunted stage musical, The Matilda Musical, was written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.

"The story has been rewritten in dance pantomime form and is used as the storyline and the production spotlights beauty, grace, energy and passion from our dancers alongside fantastic character acting, humour and action.

"Children and parents [have] been so hard at work and there was much excitement backstage putting on the final touches before the full dress rehearsal kicked off."

Technical director Alistair Palmer said the show was the first from the Masterton dance and drama studio to use projected images as part of the performance and the full dress rehearsal held at Masterton Town Hall yesterday was a chance to identify any problems "and iron out any kinks over the next couple of days".

He said a range of images would be used throughout the production, from a classroom scene to a mystical forest.

"We can use whatever images we want and the images will be synced in with the lighting and the action on the stage."

Mrs De Barletta said the season of Our Matilda will include three performances, with a show at 4pm on Saturday, October 17, and Sunday October 18, and an evening show from 7pm on Tuesday, October 20.