Source: Te Pukenga
Ara Institute of Canterbury-Te Pūkenga’s National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art’s (NASDA) season of Grease is due to open at the Court Theatre – the third annual collaboration between NASDA and the local professional theatre company.
While the students put the polish on perhaps one of the most universally loved musicals of all time – they’re hoping they won’t be upstaged by some seriously sharp bodywork.
First-time NASDA – but long-time professional – director Daniel Pengelly says the production is entirely worthy of Court billing and hints theatregoers will be richly rewarded with the big song and dance number Greased Lightening alone.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but designer Chris Reddington and his team have done an exceptional job. Ninety percent of our staging is cleverly upcycled and most of our props budget has gone into the special effects on the car,” he says.
The much-loved show, co-written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey and jammed with familiar tunes, opens on Friday 28 October for an eight-night season.
Pengelly, who is joined by musical director Mark W Dorrell and choreographer Kirsty Allpress on the NASDA production team, says the stage and screen classic works well for a big cast of young performers on the verge of making their way in the industry.
“There are so many iconic characters in Grease it’s ideal for a cast of this size. They all have their own story and their own songs so it’s a great opportunity for many young performers to have a moment,” Pengelly says.
Allpress promises NASDA will bring contemporary creativity to the show.
“It’s interesting coming up with different choreography and not falling back into old patterns,” she says. “Audiences now have different expectations, and the students are ready to meet the challenge of a full cardio workout while singing and maintaining characters.”
Leads Toby Lee and Sophie Harris are also rising to the challenge of playing the iconic Danny and Sandy.
Lee says Grease was the show that turned him from a ‘rugby kid’ into one with stage aspirations. “My parents saw me dancing and singing the soundtrack and thought it could be a career path so it kind of started things for me,” he says.
He’s enjoying the opportunity to bring a more complex Danny to the stage than the John Travolta version people know so well. “There will be aspects of nostalgia but so much more too because the script is quite different to the movie,” he says.
Harris says working closely with the director has pushed her out of her ‘dancer comfort zone’ to take a deep dive into the lead.
“The biggest challenge is finding that inner strength we know Sandy’s always had, and how to balance that with her deciding to change herself at the end after all,” she says, noting the extra poignancy of playing the role following the loss of Olivia Newton-John this year.
The Court Theatre is welcoming the production ahead of opening night.
“It is always so great to see the talent and professionalism of NASDA third years at this exciting early stage of their careers as performers,” Artistic Director Alison Walls says.
Pengelly says seeing students connecting so seamlessly with the professional environment at the Court is exciting.
“This relationship is very special. It can only strengthen their course and help them build relationships as they go out into the industry,” he says.
NASDA and the Court Theatre certainly go together for this season of Grease.
