trevordayschool

her imaginative life into her real life." Amélie was Coleman's inaugural Trevor production and Ian's tenth production working with Trevor. One of the first things audiences may have noticed was how frequently the nine actors were on stage and how many roles they each played. Playing multiple roles requires different voices and mannerisms—the actors needed to be conscious of how they projected each character and how that character interacted with the world around them. Senior Diorra W., for example, played four parts—Gina, Fluffy (a goldfish), Collignon, and Elton John. She found it fun to stretch her acting muscles in such varied directions and enjoyed employing "different ways of showing talents and personalities." Only two actors were cast in singular roles. Jesse G. '24 played Nino, and he did so with the intent of "making him very specific." Senior Em F. performed in the title role of Amélie. In Em's words, "Amélie is like me in that she is an observer. It took a while to differentiate between Amélie and I, and to develop her character further. But I feel that by opening night, she was no longer me, but my best friend." In a departure from the typical casting model of an Upper School musical, Middle Schoolers Roxy G. '28 and Sydney K. '27 shared the role of young Amélie, as well as four other roles. According to Roxy, "In the beginning, it was hard to work with people who are up to five years older than me but eventually, I got to know them, and they were super nice. I felt welcomed to be there as a 7th grader. Once I'm in Upper School, I will already know the people involved and how much commitment it takes to be in Trevor shows." Em F. '23 agrees that "it's fun to learn the choreography and songs together and be a family with students in different grades. Watching people shine in their roles is heartwarming." Director Coleman Ray Clark found that the actors definitely shone in their character development. "If you saw the production, you know how much work the actors put into playing their various characters. All throughout the rehearsal process, I encouraged the students to bring themselves to each of the characters— first to discover what the characters want and what they dream of. Any of the unique characteristics you might think of (dialects, movements, or postures) came second, only after first understanding each character's heart. There were several delightful moments in rehearsals when an actor would have an 'a-ha!' moment, discovering something new about their character through the process of embodying them. It takes a lot of empathy to play multiple characters in one musical, and the Trevor students embraced that challenge with open arms!" In musical theatre, the pit band is a critical underpinning to the show's success. Under the direction of Ian Miller, a small group of professional musicians and two stellar student- musicians executed to great effect a charming score that contains 34 musical numbers. According to Mr. Miller, "Amélie is not typical musical theatre— it's a bit folky and understated at times, and it invites you into the storytelling." There was much to celebrate in the efforts put in by the cast and musicians. Mr. Miller admits that the sheer quantity of music was a great challenge, with over 30 separate musical numbers for everyone to learn. "Every individual in the cast had to carry a musical number by themselves at some point in the show, which was a big feat—there was no way anyone could shrink back or hide. In particular, the student pit musicians tackled this with a great work ethic and attitude." In being a part of the pit band, Aahron H. '26 was given the opportunity to pursue his favorite endeavor—playing the bass guitar. He further developed his craft with some of the more challenging songs and fondly noted "Goodbye Amélie" and "Bad Haircut" as his favorite songs to perform. He raved about the experience of working with Mr. Miller. "All around, Mr. Miller was an amazing conductor and an even funnier person. It was a blast to play alongside him for the show!" TREVOR DAY SCHOOL / 27 INSIDE TREVOR TREVOR TRANSLATES FEATURE AR TICLES ALUMNI

• Cover