Yarm School’s Princess Alexandria auditorium is being transformed into the mean streets of New York for the school’s latest production.
Pupils are rehearsing for their own version of Broadway favourite Guys & Dolls, which opens for a three-night run at Yarm School on February 4th.
Set construction is now completed, costume fittings are scheduled and students are spending every spare moment practising for opening night.
The musical tells the story of gamblers, gangsters and night club singers in the Big Apple through show-stopping tunes including Luck Be a Lady and My Time of Day.
A cast of 48 is led by Jessica Adams as the long-suffering Miss Adelaide, Yazdan Qafouri Isfahani as Nathan Detroit, Domonic Ryan as Sky Masterson and Evelyn Jesuraj as the Salvation Army sergeant Sarah Brown.
Yarm School headmaster David Dunn said: “Yarm School’s annual production is always one of the major highlights of the school calendar and Guys & Dolls promises to be no exception.
“We have some exceptionally talented pupils who work incredibly hard to make sure they give very polished performances.
“Everywhere you turn in our new music school, you hear students rehearsing. I can’t wait to see the full performance in the fantastic acoustics of our Princess Alexandra Auditorium along with an audience of parents and the wider community.”
The cast has been working with American vocal coach Heather Watts to make sure they are pitch perfect. Heather, a native Texan moved to the UK to complete Vocal Performance studies at London’s Royal College of Music.
She has performed in London’s West End in The Phantom of the Opera as well as touring Europe with Diva Opera. Heather has been helping pupils to refine their New York accents and line delivery.
Rehearsals have been taking place at Yarm School’s new £3m music school as well as on stage in the 750-seater Princess Alexandra Auditorium.
Shows are expected to sell out quickly, with tickets available from http://www.thepaaonline.