Bonnie & Clyde: Our Grandest Secondary School Musical To Date One of the annual highlights for us in the Performing Arts Department is the School Musical, and this year was no exception with the show stopping performance of Bonnie and Clyde. Read in detail the incredible journey of our Secondary students for this production.

One of the annual highlights for us in the Performing Arts Department is the School Musical, and this year was no exception with the show stopping performance of Bonnie and Clyde. In the last week of Term 2 our talented students sang, danced, acted and performed in the band to create magical evenings for our parent, student and staff audiences.

The Tale of the Infamous Bandits

Bonnie and Clyde tells the story of the infamous gangsters who terrorised 1930’s America, from their humble beginnings to their messy and heartbreaking end. The cast, led by Jenna Bonner and Campbell Taylor in the titular roles, showed us how the most unlikely of people can become a hero, and, of course, that in the end crime can never pay. It touched the hearts of the audience whilst making them laugh and cheer on the desperate actions of the doomed couple. 

We were especially proud of our cast this year for taking on the new challenge of more complex dance numbers, choreographed by our own students, and performed with precision and energy every night. It was wonderful to see our students using their talent, and supporting those who were new to the art form in creating fantastic numbers.

We also had more students than ever in the band, all giving us flawless numbers that made us smile, cry and sometimes want to get up and dance along. They worked tirelessly alongside our wonderful Music Department, who were able to guide them in delivering a cues with both passion and precision, enabling them to gain priceless experience performing in a large ensemble. The marriage of both visual performance and sound is one of the most powerful storytelling combinations we have, one that our performers were able to use to perfection to transport us in the audience to a different world.

The feedback and the support from our audiences and school community was overwhelming with so many parents, staff and students taking time to congratulate our performers and let them know how much they enjoyed themselves.

What our Parents had to say

As a parent, it was such a pleasure to watch Jenna’s happiness and enjoyment grow as the camaraderie amongst the cast developed.

I loved watching the impromptu TikTok dances they did and seeing the smiles and laughter. I was concerned at first that she would start to lose interest since rehearsals ran for quite a long time but in fact, she got more and more excited about the prospect. The teachers did a phenomenal job of keeping the whole cast engaged throughout.

During the performance, I think I was more nervous than her, she absolutely shone.

It was my first time to watch her in a lead role and to hear her sing so many songs. It is a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Jenna hopes to make a career in musical theatre, and I feel the Bonnie and Clyde experience gave her more confidence to pursue her vision. It seems to have taught her many skills that I am sure will help her in her future studies and hopefully in her future dream job, not least to improve her time management over exam revision. I will forever be grateful to the teachers involved. - Helen, Parent

The Journey of our Student Cast

Being involved in the musical this year has been a wonderful opportunity for me to make new friends and learn from others. Although there were many difficulties during rehearsals such as memorising choreography or getting the notes right during singing, I found our efforts worth it as the show ended up extraordinarily mind-blowing. I would like to advise students, especially those who have never participated in the school's production, to challenge themselves and audition for a show next year.

Being in a school production will leave you with unforgettable memories from your time at BIS. 

Marya, Student

As a part of the cast, you learn so many things throughout the seven months, from ways to improve your dancing, singing, acting and even other non-theatre related things like makeup, building up your confidence and more.

You become closer to so many amazing and talented people, it's an experience that is a blast to be a part of. 

To anyone considering auditioning, go for it. You might think you don't have the skills or are too afraid of the commitment, but remember, you'll never know if you don't audition. It's an experience everyone should have and I definitely recommend it to anyone who's up for it. - Jessie Linh, Student

Throughout the whole journey, not only did I grow but I evolved as an individual and an actor. The myriads of moral lessons I have learned from the musicals have been phenomenal and I will keep those words close to me throughout my life journey.

My connection with the cast of Bonnie and Clyde exuded warmth that truly defined what the community in BIS is like.  Whether you are in the chorus or the star of the show, every single role plays a crucial aspect within this production.

We never felt discouraged or defeated if something went against us, and I would also like to thank personally to everyone who has helped me when I was struggling, I am eternally grateful. – Student Cast Member

The Choices We Make

Drama, much like life, is all about the choices we make. There is no one right choice and there is no one wrong choice, this world will give us multitudes of opportunities and we may have 5 or 6 different choices in front of us, with many of them being the “right” choice. In Drama at BIS, we teach our students to make choices and own those choices and this was something we saw constantly throughout the rehearsal process of Bonnie & Clyde. Starting with our student led choreography team, our Director had a broad vision of what he wanted the dances to feel like but left Naomi and Thao Ann to choose how they would bring that feeling to life. When working through scenes, we could have told students what we wanted them to do, but by them knowing their characters and making strong choices they were able to bring a reality of truth to the performance that could not otherwise have existed. Throughout this process students learned to make choices and own their choices on stage, and with the hope that it will transfer into their daily lives. 

We are so proud of the students and the staff who worked on this production, and the professional and engaging performance that they gave us. This is a show that will be remembered by all involved for years to come. For more photos of the production visit our Facebook album.

 

BIS HCMC Drama Department