Crossgar students tread the boards in hit musical

Crossgar students tread the boards in hit musical

22 January 2025

TALENTED pupils from St Colmcille’s High School, Crossgar, took to the stage on three consecutive days last week to bring to life the characters from Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hugely popular musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The cast was comprised solely of pupils from Years 8-12 who were invited to audition last year and were cast in the vast array of roles, including Joseph, Joseph’s brothers, Jacob, Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife and the Narrator.

The story is the reimagining of the biblical story of Joseph, his father and eleven brothers and all the events that transpire.

Joseph is full of catchy songs in a variety of styles from a parody of a French ballad (Those Canaan Days), to country (One More Angel in Heaven), along with unforgettable classics Close Every Door to Me and Any Dream Will Do.

The production, which took just over an hour to perform, represented hundreds of hours of preparation.  This began with auditions in the last academic year and staff said that they were overwhelmed by the array of talent amongst their pupils.

They were delighted to offer parts to all pupils who auditioned – 42 pupils in total took part with no need for guest performances, despite the challenging roles involved.

Over the course of several months of extremely hard work and dedication, many evenings and weekends were sacrificed to ensure a spectacular show for the audience. Pupils learned lines, perfected dance routines, and worked together to bring the story to life.

The production itself was a true team effort with staff from all around the school volunteering to support the pupils.

Art staff painted the beautiful back, TD staff built the stage set, teachers and classroom assistants became lighting crew, stage managers, fundraisers, costume designers and front-of-house co-ordinators, while office staff manned the box office for five sold out performances.

The school have also reiterated how grateful they are to the local community for their continued and enthusiastic support.

Local businesses have jumped at the opportunity to support the school financially by donating prizes for the raffle and displaying posters. They also attended the performances in their droves and pupils performed to a packed hall during each performance.

As a result of this generous sponsorship, the school were delighted to able to invest in a new lighting rig which they put to good use during the show.

Mr Seamus Hanna, principal, said: “The word which was repeated to me from audience members who watched the show was ‘spectacular’. The enthusiasm which everyone involved has displayed throughout this journey has been infectious and has given so much life to our school.

As principal, I am always so proud of all my pupils and despite our size we stretch to bring new experiences and opportunities to all our pupils.  I am simply in awe of the talent of our pupils.”

Local primary schools were offered free tickets for their P7 pupils and the two matinee performances saw over 400 local children from Holy Family PS, St Macartan’s PS, St Joseph’s PS, Cedar Integrated PS, Our Lady and St Patrick PS, St Brigid’s PS and Killyleagh Integrated PS.

Mr Martin Robinson, vice-principal of Our Lady and St Patrick Primary School, said: “The performance of ‘Joseph’ was absolutely fantastic, and we were thoroughly impressed by the talent and dedication of the children. They were truly remarkable.”

The cast from St Colmcille’s High School are also delighted to have been invited to watch pupils from Our Lady and St Patrick star in their own production of ‘Joseph’ next month. 

Performing in five sold-out shows across three days, the pupils put on an impressive performance each time to a hall packed with local people who turned out to support them in their droves. Their energy and enthusiasm were recognised by the audience with rapturous applause and standing ovations.

The school are particularly proud of Gerard Smyth, the Year 12 pupil cast as Joseph, who has never performed on stage before.

Gerard said: “I cannot put the experience into words. I loved every minute of it and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up during the standing ovation on closing night.”

Abbie McCarthy, who wowed the crowds in her role as the Narrator, said: “I’ve always had an interest in musical theatre and I was so delighted to be cast in this part as it is one of my favourites.

“This was my first lead role in a school production and I have really enjoyed being part of the show and working with the younger pupils to encourage their interest as well.”

The school produces a musical once every two years and the pupils are already selecting their next production.