Fernie Academy students hit the stage at Knox United Church on Wednesday, June 10 to put on a show.
The play was an adaptation of the 2000 film The Road To El Dorado.
“We really wanted to play up the clown style of acting,” explained Fernie Academy drama teacher Denise Baughan. “The acting choices we made throughout the play were to emphasize actions that were larger than life and almost cartoon-esque.”
Baughan added, “Modern audiences usually affiliate clowning with the white faced and red nosed clowns that are found in circus venues, however, the art form itself is far more vast. The characters found in clown theatre are adventurous, curious and react to the world in physical and exaggerated ways.”
The student actors — ranging from Grades 8-12 — certainly kept the audience laughing with their over-the-top antics as they followed the adventures of two Spanish con artists on their way to El Dorado, a legendary city of gold.
The show was led by Anthony Milligan and Zac Watson who played the two leads Tulio and Miguel, respectively.
“A lot of the casting choices are based off the student’s personality, just in the manner that students are in a role that suits their natural attributes. That way it allows them to warm up to a character and truly make it theirs,” said Baughan of the play’s lineup of actors.
The students had been rehearsing the play since January following auditions that were held in December.
The play was performed three times on June 10, 11 and 12 and was directed by Baughan and Allison Pace.