By Amelia Naughten and Elaine Chan, Staff Writers
With spring semester on the wings, Mills Drama is bringing the musical adaptation of Matilda to the stage! The musical centers around the main character Matilda Wormwood, a precocious five-year old girl who is often misunderstood due to her intelligence. When Matilda is sent to a boarding school, she finds herself met with a cruel headmistress, but with the help of newfound allies and a special power, she’s able to turn the tides. The cast list has been released, and students are rushing to read the names.
Starring in the lead role of Matilda Wormwood is Angel Corpuz (12). You may have seen her in other works such as Wendy Jo in Footloose. Being that this is her first time with a lead role in a Mills production, Corpuz feels excited to take on this iconic character. As for the audition process, she states that “Mr. G definitely gave me good notes and I had some of my friends watch me a couple times.”
In preparation for the show, the cast takes the time to understand and fill the shoes of their character. “…watching other high school productions, and practicing my British accent!” are just a few of the pre-show preparations for Corpuz. With it being her last Mills Drama Production, she feels bittersweet, “It’s sad, but our talented cast and, of course, the crew will make this show so memorable.” She advises underclassmen to join Drama expressing that she regrets not doing the musical in her first year.
Speaking of underclassmen, something more to look forward to is the new talent being brought to the table by freshmen cast members. Ella Bialon-Choy (9) landed the role of Mrs. Phelps, a librarian at the boarding school Matilda attends. Bialon-Choy expresses her passion for drama simply saying, “I’ve loved theater forever and I finally got to do it at school.” She also finds that her assigned role fits her especially well, explaining that in the musical “Mrs. Phelps likes books and I really like books, reading, and writing.”
On the more technical side, developing a musical is a completely different experience than that of a play. Mr. Hudelson, who oversees the direction of Matilda, shared that he finds that working in a musical is “more of a time effort,” being that with a choreographer and music coordinator there are more aspects to manage.
At the same time, the different style allows him to work in areas unique to musicals. Mr. Hudelson looks forward to surprising the audience with special set techniques that combine traditional sets with projections to pull off a certain “magical” effect. He also added, “I’m excited to work with the ensemble because we have some really great singers and great harmonies to look forward to in the play” as well as working with the music aspect because here at Mills, “…we have a really strong music program.”
The ensemble and dance captains share their enthusiasm for this compelling production as well. Ensemble member Naia Germain (9) says, “The stage productions that I have watched at Mills were always so incredible and it seems like it’ll be really fun to be a part of one.”
Behind the curtain, to aid Mr. Hudelson in directing the musical, stage manager Kaylie Wong (11) looks forward to putting her theater skills to work in managing the production. Ever since 9th grade, Wong has been a part of the Mills Drama Program, working in six different Mills productions, including most recently the role of Burbage in Shakespeare in Love.
Being that Wong has had much experience both on and offstage, she felt that the musical was a perfect opportunity to stage manage, especially stating that because she truly “appreciates the technical aspects of theater, I really just wanted to…manage that to make Matilda the best that it could possibly be.” Over the years since first joining Mills drama, Wong has forged many new friendships with members, concluding that “These relationships have really taught me a lot about how to be a better person and how to improve and I really appreciate the Drama Program for helping me do that.”
Starting in the beginning of next year, the cast and crew will be working hard in rehearsals so that on opening night, they will be ready to present a spectacular rendition of Matilda to our community. From the interviews with the versatile and skillful cast and crew, we can without a doubt expect a breathtaking performance to conclude Mills Drama for the 2022-2023 school year.
