Standing ovation for Ashton’s ‘Oliver’

Standing ovation, standing ovation, standing ovation. Ashton International Junior College’s production of Oliver on Friday night was absolutely fabulous. I am so proud of all who participated. Long have we been under the shadow of so many other schools as we have never had our own venue to stage a major production and now that our Grace hall is up and running we have this opportunity. And how do the junior college christen their first production in their Grace Hall? By blowing us all out of the water with a remarkable rendition of the musical Oliver.
I must tell you that I have been involved in producing well known musicals such as West Side Story and Sound of Music, to name but a few, as well as acting in various productions along the way. I have also been involved in set design and construction many a time. Ashton completely blew my mind in all these aspects. I can honestly say that this amateur production was more professional than most that I have seen.
To be able to direct a cast of more than 400 is no mean feat and the way this was done was absolutely phenomenal. Well done to all the actors and actresses who showed off some truly outstanding talent. A lovely touch to the production was the involvement of the staff members who, might I add, displayed some hidden talents that many of us never even knew about. Too often are productions at schools centred around the students, which of course is how it should be, however when staff members are involved it tends to bridge that gap between teacher/student conduct for a fleeting moment, allowing the students to realise that their teachers are just as human as they are.
I must commend teachers, students and parents for stepping up to this challenge, dedicating their time, sacrificing personal commitments and supporting this production from start to finish. It’s a huge undertaking and I fully understand what went into making this the fantastic success that it was and always will be. I cannot wait for the next one.
Congratulations on a job extremely well done.
DENA-MAREE DE GROOTH
Ballito