This month, Sentinel Stage put on an AMAZING production of “Seussical” at Kay Meek Theatre. The production was a huge success! The Sentinel Sun sat down with Mrs. McGuinness-Gill and members of the cast and crew to learn more about the strong theatre community here at Sentinel.
Sentinel Stage runs and operates like a professional theatre company. Beyond the cast, there are multiple other departments including light and sound, tech, costumes, props and set crew and teams of stage managers, producers, directors. With over 40 students from grades 8-12 involved in the production this year, Sentinel Stage, as Mrs. McGuinness-Gill said, is truly “a team working towards a common goal”.
I talked to Safinaz Saigol (manager of costumes) Zoe Cameron (cast and costumes) and Maya Krieger (stage manager) about Sentinel Stage. All three of them instantly said that “theatre is a big family”, that enables them to have fun and meet new people. Although they have been in rehearsals almost every single day for weeks, all three of them said it was worth it “to see it all come together.” These sentiments were echoed by Georgia Cunliffe (cast) and Samantha Hobbs (cast) who also reiterated that they have made so many new friends across all grades. Grace Ma and Mai Tian are the producers who designed the beautiful “Seussical” posters and pamphlets. Both Grace and Mai also said that theatre is a big family, and that “everyone is open to each other, has fun, and can be themselves.” Walking behind the stages and meeting with cast and crew, it was evident in seconds that Sentinel Stage is a welcoming community of students.
For Mrs. McGuinness-Gill, ‘Seussical’ is her 24th Sentinel show and her 12th year as theatre director. Teaching theatre comes naturally for her. She has always loved theatre and was voted “most likely to become a teacher” 3 times in grades 8 and 9!
Mrs. McGuinness-Gill also said that theatre is “a home base, where people can go and just do what they love. Theatre is open to all.” Her favourite moment of the production is that moment where it clicks and the show is ready to go. She explained that “theatre breaks down barriers” because the “story is told on stage by everyone.” Everybody has a role and knows what they need to do. With so many departments, it enables students to learn about theatre holistically. Mrs. McGuinness-Gill encourages her students to dry different roles in theatre (eg. actor be a crew member and vice versa) because it enables them to “walk in someone else’s shoes and learn about other departments.” Students get the opportunity to thrive in a different environment other than the classroom, learn lessons about leadership and life, and form lifelong friendships. Mrs. McGuinness herself is still in touch with the people she worked with in theatre from decades ago.
Regardless of whether students decide to pursue theatre later on in life, everyone can enjoy theatre as a hobby, and some Sentinel alumni have even come back to help with future productions.
Mrs. McGuinness-Gill said to students, “If you’re willing to join the family, we’d love to have you join us!”
A huge congratulations to Mrs. McGuinness Gill and the entire team of Sentinel Stage for an incredible production!
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