HHS students present Matilda this weekend at the Algonquin Theatre

Huntsville High School students from Grades 9 to 12 will be showcasing Matilda the Musical at the Algonquin Theatre.

The show runs February 14 and 15 at 6:30 p.m., with afternoon performances on Saturday, February 15, at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 16, at 1:30 p.m. It lasts two hours and thirty minutes, including a twenty-minute intermission. You can buy tickets HERE.

The show is based on Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel Matilda. The musical’s narrative centers on Matilda Wormwood, a precocious five-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis who loves reading, overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school and helps her teacher reclaim her life.

In total, thirty-eight HHS students and a large team of teachers are involved in the musical, and the experience has been incredible, said HHS teacher, producer, and vocal coach Nicole Taylor.

“It’s been an incredible opportunity working alongside so many dedicated teachers and volunteers and such a talented and committed cast of students,” said Taylor.

The pit band, directed by Benji Jordan, is made up of five HHS students, two teachers and three volunteer musicians and there are seven crew members working with fabulous theatre technicians John A MacDonald and Chris Boon.

Asked how she came up with Matilda, Taylor said: “I was looking for a show with several speaking roles and more female leads, as we tend to have a fewer number of males auditioning for our shows. I also wanted to tell an empowering story and entertain the audience with comedic characters and fabulous music! Matilda came to mind, amongst a few others, and as I got to know more about the show I fell in love with it! I took my family to see a production of Matilda by YES Theatre in Sudbury in December 2023 as research for our production and was blown away by their performance! That was the moment I thought yep, this would be a great show to put on! I proposed it to the rest of the team and everyone jumped on board!”

HHS has a biannual tradition of putting on Musicals. “We put on The Addams Family Musical in 2023 and the ticket sales from that show paid for our current production of Matilda. The ticket sales from this show will cover our theatre rental as well as pay for our next production in two years,” said Taylor.

“The fantastically talented and dedicated cast that you are about to watch has bravely taken on the challenge of balancing the darker elements of this show with the more triumphant, hopeful, and comical moments that make Matilda the delightful and inspiring tale that it is. It has been a marvelous experience working with these students and watching them demonstrate such incredible creativity, maturity, teamwork, and commitment to the craft,” said director Mark Rodrigues.

The production has been a year in the making. “It’s a been a real labour of love and we are so excited to share it with you!” said Taylor.

HHS teachers Susanne Allen-Spiers and Teresa Patterson designed the sets with the help of two senior art students, Bella Main and Ty Horvath Thompson.

Taylor also gave thanks to Lynn Hill and the Muskoka Dance Academy for choreographing all of their dances and donating the rehearsal space.