Boundary Central Secondary School’s production of All Shook Up has been an ambitious undertaking from the outset.
Teacher Sarah Tripp acknowledges that she and her unusually large class took on a big challenge when she selected the Elvis Presley-inspired musical comedy. Made even more daunting by her need to double-cast most of the roles, allowing her to feature all of the nearly thirty students in this year’s drama and music class, the show also features a significant number of costume and set changes, adding another layer to the complex “comedy of errors.”
When asked what her greatest challenges have been in staging the musical, Tripp says matter-of-factly, “The number of songs and choreographed dance pieces, which are doubled due to the production having two casts.”
In fact, Tripp had doubts early on in rehearsals that she and the cast would be able to pull everything together and present All Shook Up as she had envisioned. Citing her students’ challenging start as reflective of an extremely steep learning curve, she now sees the production becoming more polished and, just as importantly, enjoyable for the cast and the director.
Costuming for the show has been an adventure in of itself, with Tripp scouring every thrift store in both the Boundary and South Okanagan for cost-effective, yet authentic attire. The 1950’s theme has demanded much attention to detail, but the wardrobe is ready to go, including numerous pairs of “blue suede shoes” and a plethora of black jeans and tee shirts. Also challenging has been compiling some rather unusual props, such as the so-called “tunnel of love.”
“If the kids can pull this off, as I know they can,” Tripp said, “All Shook Up will be the funniest and most enjoyable BCSS production I have worked on.”
The play runs Dec. 9, 10, 14 and 15 in the school’s theatre beginning at 7 p.m. sharp. Tickets, already more than half sold, are $10 and can be reserved by calling the BCSS office at 250 449 2224.