TALENTED youngsters on both sides of the curtain are preparing to stage an all-signing, all-dancing musical from scratch in less than two weeks.
Around 70 budding musical theatre stars are coming together to prepare their production of Elton John’s award-winning show Aida for Rugby Theatre’s annual Summer Youth Project.
The show opens on Wednesday August 1 – just 11 days after rehearsals began.
But song and dance routines are already taking shape as the young performers, all aged between 10 and 21, are being put through their paces by a professional director, choreographer and musical director.
Meanwhile, a hard-working backstage team, also made up of young people, are building the set, designing the lighting and sound, and getting ready to crew the show under the watchful eyes of the project stage managers.
The cast and crew of Aida at Rugby Theatre.
Aida was written by Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, and opened on Broadway in 2000.
Based on the Verdi opera, but with a pop score, it was nominated for five Tony Awards – but has never been staged professionally in the UK.
Diane Trezise, who helps organise the summer project, said: “This is a wonderful chance for a big group of incredibly talented young people to come together to create a unique piece of musical theatre.
“We’re so lucky to have such great support from people in the town, the parents, the theatre, and from the production team.
“And the young people show such commitment to rehearse and stage such a challenging production in around 11 days. They never cease to amaze me!”
The show runs from August 1 to 5. Visit www.rugbytheatre.co.uk or call 01788 541234 for tickets.
