Students at William Colenso College are getting ready to perform a musical based on shared experiences relating to Covid 19. Head of performing arts Leah Kersey talks about the journey.
The dancing of Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield has been abruptly brought to a halt and the pair have been tossed back into storage - all 32 different versions of them.
William Colenso College in Napier was all set to bring dozens of cutouts of the Prime Minister and the director general of health to life for its school production "Kia ora Corona" this week.
Then, in an ironic twist, Covid-19 returned, forcing the show to be postponed.
While the real-life Ardern and Bloomfield have returned for the daily 1pm briefings, their cutouts are now sitting eerily in storage in the school's costume and props department.
Head of performing arts Leah Kersey said the cutouts, which had inadvertently garnered interesting reactions from fellow-teachers, students and parents, were her idea.
"The production has a New Zealand-angle about the impact of Covid. I felt we couldn't have a show about Covid without Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield," Kersey said.
Leads in William Colenso College's Covid- inspired production - from left, Year 13 student Kosei Yamaguchi and Year 7 student Jasmine Hacker - hold Ashley Bloomfield and Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Warren Buckland
Three families grappling with the pandemic provide the storyline of the show.
"The production is based on our experiences in the lockdown, but we have also included stuff about Covid's global impact."
Once Kersey came up with the idea she rushed to the production manager Laura Jackson to bring her idea to life.
"I told her that I had this bright idea and she just went ahead and got it done," she said.
When the cutouts were made some students and teachers thought they were funny, some were surprised, and some wanted to take them home, Kersey said.
The life-size cardboard cutouts of both Ardern and Bloomfield make two appearances in the production itself, and students playing the duo make one and three appearances respectively.
And while neither could attend the production itself, Bloomfield did take the time out to send the school a note explaining he had prior commitments in Wellington.
"I know William Colenso College - I was born in Napier and lived in Maraenui until I was 6, and very good friends of ours who we visited every holidays lived on Arnold St right next to the College," he wrote.
"I wish you all the very best for the production, and would love to see any footage of it - do let me know where I might see that in due course."
Kersey said the school was "chuffed" that Bloomfield would take the time to personally respond and tell them about his connection to the school.
She said the life-size Bloomfield featured in a musical number and people "might be surprised what a graceful dancer he turns out to be".
The 90-minute production – a medley of drama, dance and music – was co-written by Year 13 student Ella Riddiford and music teacher Janneke de Jong.
A decision was made to postpone the show until September 16 due to restrictions and also because with the virus circulating again in New Zealand "we felt it's not quite appropriate right now", Kersey said.
"With Covid popping back up we wanted to be sensitive to those affected. Looking on the bright side, we now have a few more weeks' rehearsal time.
"We are going to keep rehearsing and hope we are down to level 1 so we can have an audience of more than 100 people."
The 40-strong cast includes five teens from Japan and Vietnam and a group of nine Brazilian students took part in a preview performance of some numbers from the show before they flew home in July.
Details: Kia ora Corona at William Colenso College, 7pm, September 16 and 17.
