PHOTOS: Sooke students step on stage for first time since 2019

Students at Edward Milne Community School perform live for the first time since 2019 with their coming show We Will Rock You.

The musical, which was supposed to be performed in 2020 prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, is entirely scored with Queen music and is being performed by Grade 10 to 12 students, some of whom have never performed in front of a live audience.

“It’s a futuristic dystopian society in which individual thought is outlawed, along with rock ’n’ roll music because that represents expression and freedom of expression. So this band of Bohemians gets together to defeat this antagonist Killer Queen, who is ruling over society with this iron grip,” said Boise D’Archangelo, who plays Scaramouche in the show.

Only a few Grade 12 students were old enough to be involved with the school’s last live performance, Mamma Mia in 2019. During the pandemic, EMCS has still put on shows, but recorded them via video and then put those online.

“When you’re doing it live you have to manage backstage setting up scenes and you have the curtains closed and all that. So I’d say it’s a more complicated thing to pull off, but a lot more rewarding in the amount of effort you put into it,” said Dominic Lerose, who plays Commander Khashoggi.

The group has been rehearsing during drama class, lunch breaks and after school.

“Since this is our last show and most of us have been in musical theater since Grade 9, it will be extremely emotional to leave such a great group of people because it’s like a second family to myself and I can probably speak for others on that,” said Ellie Hiltz, who plays Britney Spears.

Performances run at the Sooke school from April 21 to 23.

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