Hakuna Matata! –The Lion King, Jr.

This fall, students at Sanford Middle School had a unique opportunity to immerse themselves fully in the world of Simba, Mufasa and the African Pride Lands as a part of the fall musical, The Lion King, Jr.! On December 4 and 5, 2015, the students wowed a packed house for each of their three performances, bringing the African savannah to life on stage. As one teacher said, “This performance had SOUL.” We couldn’t agree more, and can’t wait to do it all over again next year!

A huge number of students turned out to audition for the musical, and we were fortunate to have a cast of nearly 60 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders participating. Other Sanford students took on leadership roles as technicians and in other behind-the-scenes work as part of the tech crew.

Disney’s The Lion King, Jr., is based on the wildly successful Broadway musical The Lion King and the animated film classic of the same name. Set in Africa, Disney’s The Lion King, Jr., is the coming-of-age story of Simba, a lion cub, who must come to terms with the tremendous responsibility of becoming King of the Pride Lands. At Sanford, the African savannah came to life on stage with Simba, Rafiki, and an unforgettable cast of characters.

In addition to learning their lines, melodies and harmonies, the cast worked with Cecilia Ogulla, a physics student at the University of St. Thomas who grew up in Nairobi, Kenya. Fluent in four languages  – including English and Swahili – Ogulla helped students to learn more about the culture, context and pronunciation of African phrases in the play. A variety of indigenous African languages are spoken throughout the musical: Swahili, Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, Congolese and Xhosa, also known as the “click language.”

Ogulla worked with the students on an ongoing basis, advising them on the pronunciation and history of the languages in the play. She gave the students translations of the play’s more famous and meaningful phrases – providing the student actors an opportunity to better understand their lines and the personalities of their characters.

This was Project Success’ 7th year producing student musicals in partnership with Sanford Middle School, and the production was truly a school-wide endeavor. In addition to the planned performances, other students had numerous opportunities to get involved in the play through their classes at Sanford. For example, choir and band students learned and performed music from the production.

The cast also performed pop-up musical performances during each school lunch period of performance week, giving all Sanford students an opportunity to experience the play.

The Lion King, Jr. starred Sanford student actors and technicians, and was produced in partnership with Sanford Middle School, Director Jeffry Lusiak, Production Manager Jeff Wells, Musical Director Anita Ruth and Choreographer Trudy Monette.

Click here to see photos from the production and learn more about The Lion King, Jr.

Save the Date: We will be coordinating two more musicals during the 2015-16 school year at Marcy Open School (March 9 – 18, 2016) and Anwatin Middle School (May 27 and 28, 2016). Keep an eye on our student performances webpage for more information!