All Shook Up!
It’s show time once more in St Louis Dundalk. The current TY Class of 2019 have been treading the boards, dancing their socks off and singing sweet tunes since just after Mid-Term last November in order to wow audiences with their performance of “All Shook Up” due to take place over three nights in March – Tuesday 12th to Thursday 14th at 7:30pm sharp. To paraphrase Miss Sandra from the show, these girls are “real cool cats” and looking forward to bringing some rock’n’roll to your soul next week!
As before the venue is the Chapel Hall, looking wonderful after the fire, with all the stained glass windows back in place. Directors of the production this year, Ms Elaine Byrne, Ms Siobhán Higgins and Ms Kate O’ Byrne are delighted with the efforts made by the girls and looking forward to the final product. “Although “All Shook Up” has been done locally by others in recent times we still chose it as we think we put an individual slant on all of our shows here at St Louis. The audition process is very protracted so that we give every girl a chance to shine. Each year we find new stars, people who have never before been on a stage, and that lengthy audition process is what makes the production so effective,” said Elaine Byrne. “All 85 girls in TY are in the show, even if they have other roles in costume, props and sets. It is an essential part of the experience that every girl is part of our cast, so they can all experience the joy of performance.”
The choreography is a joint effort between students and teachers. “We look to the girls for inspiration with dance moves. So many of them have a huge wealth of experience in this area so we like to give them the chance to use it and take part ownership of the process of staging a musical, continued Kate O’ Byrne. “So many TYs say the musical is why they choose to do the year. It’s not just for the performance but for all the life skills they learn in the process.”
Fifth years play a vital role in the production too. They are the stage managers, help on sound and lighting and also with makeup and hair. “Here in St Louis we pride ourselves on attention to detail in every aspect of the production,” said Siobhán Higgins. “We spend time researching the costume and makeup styles of the era of the show and then the fifth year girls help to recreate those looks. Hairgrips, hairspray and GHDs are the order of the day to ensure we create a performance that looks as good as it sounds.”
Lynne Rice is a new addition to the team this year and has been looking after the admin side of things for the show. The tickets are available from the school office priced at a very reasonable €10.
