As a DP Theatre student, I was very excited that this year’s play was going to be Arabian Nights. I have been involved in CIS’ productions for the past three years, but this year was the first time I auditioned to be part of the cast. As someone who wants to do theatre studies after graduation, I think this play and the production process has helped me a lot.

I was involved in the rehearsal process, I saw what the work was like and what I, as an actor, can contribute to a school like CIS. Arabian Nights is a production filled with storytelling and very physical movements to make the tales come alive. Being a performer who takes a more realistic approach to acting, I found this challenging. However, I went outside my comfort zone and used the production as an opportunity to learn new skills and ways to act.

When we started rehearsing for the production, we began slowly as there were several stories to develop, but as we got closer to opening night everything started to become more hectic. Eventually it all came together to become an amazing production that I was honoured to be part of.

Working with the cast was fun. I made new friends and I have new experiences to look back on when graduating next year. I thoroughly enjoyed being in this production and I highly recommend that everyone who is thinking about auditioning for future CIS plays to do so! You never know, you might find a passion for acting and performing!

An insight into the CIS Production Experience by Sam Mukherjee, Grade 11 Student

Despite having been an active member of the school productions for three years, I don’t think I’ve ever had the opportunity to be part of something as elaborate as Arabian Nights. From the sets, to the costumes, to the music and lighting, everything about this show had an incredibly alluring charm, which I, along with the rest of the cast, had absolutely fallen in love with from the beginning.

In this year’s production, I had the privilege of playing four unique characters; a thief in Ali- Baba, Haroun Al- Rashid and the Good Sorceress in The Wife Who Wouldn’t Eat, and the Vizier in The Story of the Envious Sisters. Although the thought of embodying four contrasting characters in a single production intimidated me at first, I decided to take the opportunity as a challenge.

My preparation for the roles started around December of last year, and lasted for a period of approximately six months. To begin, I came up with my own visual interpretation of what each character I was going to play looked like, and gave that character certain attributes. I also looked up videos of how a character would physically carry themselves, and how they interacted with those around them. This approach was learnt in my ongoing HL Theatre course, which encourages us to do rigorous amounts of research in order to develop a full understanding of the play, and the characters. This was extremely advantageous to the conceptualisation and my interpretation of the roles.

Following this, I devoted at least half an hour each day to memorising my lines, and working with the other actors during rehearsals to polish the aesthetics of the performance and give each other feedback.

I am honoured to have been a part of this production and to have received the amount of knowledge I have, the new friends I have laughed with and the memories I have made. I would recommend getting involved in CIS productions to anyone with a passion in performing arts.

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