On Nov. 29, the 1964 film Mary Poppins will be screened at the Monarch Theatre at a student-led event. The following week, the students, pictured rehearsing, will put on their own production at the College Theatre.--NEWS PHOTO ZOE MASON
zmason@medicinehatnews.com
A student-led fundraiser is taking over the silver screen at the historic Monarch Theatre this Saturday.
This weekend’s screening of Mary Poppins was organized by Madison Mauch, a Grade 12 student at Monsignor McCoy High School, to fundraise for her school’s production arts program and promote their upcoming production of the 1964 classic.
Mauch took over as student fundraising co-ordinator for her senior year, but the idea for the fundraiser came long before.
“I was at Midnight Madness last year and I was at the Monarch, and I thought, ‘wait, this would be a really cool idea to do for the production.’ So this has been in the works for around a year,” she said.
Mauch says it’s taken a lot of phone calls to get this event off the ground. While Mauch took point on the project, she says her teachers, peers and local trustees have helped her organize the event.
While they aren’t charging for admissions, they are encouraging a donation of $5 for entry. The Monarch will be providing concessions, with any two snacks available for purchase for $5.
Students and teachers taking part in the production will be present at the event, and selling posters and stickers designed by Mauch and her classmate and co-fundraising co-ordinator Adalie Tollin.
“All the money we raise is going to come back to the program so we can do more stuff like what we’re doing now – so we can get more sets, more costumes and just make the experience better for kids in the future,” said Mauch.
The student production of Mary Poppins will hit the stage Dec. 10, with matinees for students at the Medicine Hat Catholic school. The public showtimes will begin on Dec. 12 with an evening show, followed by a matinee on Saturday and two more evening shows that weekend.
Chelsey Lybbert, a drama teacher at McCoy and director of the production, says this show stands out because of the students’ dedication to the craft.
“The kids have brought such ownership to the show,” she said. “And the other piece is we’ve worked through some adversity here with the labour disruption. To see how the kids have overcome that adversity, and put in the extra time, extra effort, over and above to share this story – I think that makes it special.”
The production is the culmination of a term-length production arts course, which sees students take on every aspect of the play, from singing and choreography to fundraising and set design.
For her part, Mauch is not only fundraising co-ordinator but one of two students cast in the titular role of Mary Poppins.
Due to the weeks-long teacher strike in October, Lybbert says students have had to put in more time after hours than they usually would.
Lybbert also thinks the timeless message of Mary Poppins continues to resonate with audiences.
“Mary Poppins is just about being the best version of yourself and connecting with what matters most in life. That’s something Mary shares and teaches the characters throughout, which is an important message I think everyone can relate to.”
Mauch is thrilled to get to pair the iconic film with the historic theatre. One of the trustees she collaborated with to stage the event says she saw the film for the first time at age 12 at the Monarch.
For theatre goers interested in seeing both adaptations, it won’t get boring. While the Broadway version includes the iconic original songs, it also includes new songs and plot points to keep audiences engaged.
Mauch says she hopes people will come out to support the program she says has given her a supportive community and a space to unwind and express herself.
“I take so much pride in what I do. It’s because we have so much opportunity to make the program our own. It’s a way to build yourself and applicable skills that you wouldn’t have any other place to do. It’s such a gift.”
The doors at the Monarch will open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7.
