The Moana Production

The Moana Production

A timeless movie to perform in a school. A story with humor, a woven heart and unforgettable characters that all grades from 1 till 12 loved.  Lots of passionate students played in this show. We, the students, poured our heart and energy in every scene and emotion. Though it came out outstanding, was it actually as simple to prepare?

Becoming the cast

An audition for a Moana Musical was announced via posters and excitement swept like a cool wave. The results came in and the main cast was set. Some ensembles such as the ocean were hand-picked. Though the original cast like Eileen as Moana and Revia as Grandma Tala were in the actual show, some left due to emergencies and a packed schedule. A heavy-hitting wave struck and we did not have a Maui yet. However, Steven came in the right time and saved the day. More students filled in designated empty slots and the cast was ready to practice.

Diving into Practices

We of course had to master our lines. Moana’s culture is heavily inspired by the Polynesian region which has different languages such as Samoan and Tokelauan. Without practice, half of the iconic music in Moana such as “We Know the Way” and “Know Who You Are” would not even play! After getting a hang of the lines and songs, we had to move – literally – to actually bring the story to life. It was difficult at first especially learning how to use a sail of the boat and the choreography of the ocean and Teka ensemble. However, as practices were made, so was progress. While the main cast were practicing their moves, the ensembles were practicing their special moves for the ocean’s elegant currents and dynamic dancing to honor Moana’s culture.

Shaping the Shine

After a while, we decided to try to do the actual play – performing each act one by one like the actual movie. Moving on from cutting off from one scene to another to everything at once is difficult. I mean the backstage is small, stage is limited and microphones too. Despites this, every challenge has in it the seeds of its own solution. We worked it out and boom! All fighting scenes, dramatic scenes and hilarious scenes were polished to perfection. The costume team also designed beautiful outfits for the cast to wear.

We Know the Way… to Show Time!

It was the actual day and we were nervous including Eileen and Steven. We performed to primary first and it went extremely smooth. The songs were played nicely and the light and camera team had no problem. Then, comes the rough tide – secondary. Halfway into the show Chief Tui played as Darrell had a broken microphone. Then others had some broken ones too. The light and camera team had some technical problems. Also, props team which was the boys from 7B had some problems too. Though problems were happening, secondary still rooted and cheered for us which made us feel relieved and continue the show. It turned out amazing and we had a little party after it was all done!

We would love to thank Ms. Santi, Ms. Nina, Ms. Chel, the director, Ms. Theresa, co-director, the cast, technical team, costume team, set design and props team for contributing and making this happen. In my opinion, I loved Moana and Maui’s strong and empowering actions. The main antagonist, Teka and Tamatoa, had a cocky and evil presence. The villains (Jeanette as Teka and Dominique as Tamatoa with its two claws as Cherish and Claire) did spectacular. Thank the Lord for making this happen and hopefully we can host another musical.

…What can I say except… thank you! Wait… isn’t it you’re welcome?…

Authored by Adriella – Class 7B
“A true voyager of words”