INNISFAIL -- An Innisfail Middle School (IMS) teacher is directing a new Sherlock Holmes theatrical production for the public.
Grade 8 teacher Amanda Oslund, who specializes in fine arts and humanities, will be presenting The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes with her drama students at IMS on June 5, 6 and 7.
This year Oslund is pushing to keep the fine arts drama classes all year round for the students and to practise for the production she wanted to put on.
Oslund knew she wanted to do a production this year, which is one of the reasons she asked to run a year- long drama course.
She said her students are the ones who chose the production they wanted to put on.
After reading about The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes, her class thought it would be the best one to do and they started practising.
To prepare everyone for it, she chose the people she thought would do the best for each character.
“It’s so exciting preparing for a show -- as things ramp up as we get closer to June, students' energies do most of the work,” said Oslund, “It’s so exciting to see everyone want to pitch in other areas too."
She said she's really excited to see where this show takes us, and (her) hope is that it will set the stage for more shows in the future as (she) tries to grow the program.
Oslund said it is much easier to perform when her students get to be someone they want to be rather than choosing for them.
She then started running multiple rehearsals, like after-school classes, and during students' lunch break throughout the week. She then checked in with each student to make sure each of them are putting in all their effort and trying their best while practising in her classes.
Oslund made sure everyone will be ready to perform in June and they will try their best and give it their best effort.
She worked with them during breaks each week to see how they are doing with memorizing their lines.
The main characters in the production are Sherlock Holmes, played by Alicia MacDonald, and Dr. Watson, played by Sofia Bouw.
MacDonald said having one of the main rolls can be very stressful but added she’s excited about everything.
She said she uses all of her free time to practise and memorize her lines.
MacDonald said it is stressful on her but she has a lot of fun doing it and she is more excited than anything.
She talked about how much pressure is being put on her by being one of the main characters and having to memorize all her lines.
MacDonald talks about how she prepared for a role. “It’s a mix of everything,” she said, adding she watches a lot of shows and television and how other actors embody their roles, as well as working with friends who help a lot and make everything more fun.
Bouw plays Dr.Watson, one of the main characters in the production, and it is going to be her first time performing in front of an audience. Despite this being her first time performing she said she's excited to be on stage.
Bouw said she reads different parts of the script and tries different movements that might work with her words.
She also tried to work with other people to make drama and acting more fun.
“I am finding it a little bit challenging because there is a lot of work with memorizing the script and embodying your character; also having a British accent can be a bit challenging as well," explained Bouw.
Tickets will be available on the Innisfail Middle School website, as well as at the door. Oslund said the tickets for the production will cost $10 for everyone over the age of 10. Children under the age of 10 will be free.
Meriah Curtis is a Grade 8 student at Innisfail Middle School who successfully completed her one-month-long journalism class and project.
