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It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s the Great 8s!

22 December 2022
Christine L, Mack ‘23; Photo by Chichi O, Allard '23
As the chaos of the transition from first to second term ensues, there is one thing every former Brentwood Grade 8 student looks forward to: the Grade 8 Musical.

While the rest of the 9-12 students spend their November running Uptown and going to Open Houses, the Grade 8s are hard at work in the studio to produce a musical that is nothng short of a teenaged masterpiece. The musicals chosen for the Grade 8s never disappoint. Past examples include Shrek, The Lion King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and, my personal favourite, The Jungle Book. This year it was Superman. With Adam M, Whittall ‘27, Riley HM, Hope ‘27, and Rowan C, Rogers ‘27 playing the leads, the performance was destined to be a success.

I remember my performance as a bumblebee in The Jungle Book, back in my day four years ago. The Grade 8 Musical is a rite of passage that all Super-Lifers reminisce about. This annual performance is notorious for its adorable actors and technical difficulties which give it all the more character. This year, Sarah O, Hope ‘23 notes, “I think Adam’s ability to continue singing and dancing with his pants falling to his ankles really speaks volumes about his acting abilities.”

This production however, is not solely for the enjoyment of students. Friends and family of the 8s and also any students thinking of applying to get into Brentwood’s Grade 8 program are also found in the audience. Ms Kim Plough, Head of Theatre Production admits “This is one of my favourite events to produce solely for the reason that I get to watch the amount of progress made in rehearsals”. Being that the actors only really get three rehearsals on stage before they perform, their ability to pull a show together is quite impressive. Ms Plough admits, “Every year I’m not sure they’re going to pull it off, but I am always proved wrong.”

This year’s performance was one to remember. On behalf of all the 9-12 students in the audience at the Friday afternoon matinee, I applaud the 8s. Their standing ovation was much deserved. Well done to the cast and crew. We can’t wait to see what you guys come up with next year!

Christine L, Mack ‘23

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