Merrifield College has achieved one of the highest honours of the theatre industry, by winning 11 awards at the BroadwayWorld SA Awards 2023 for their production of Matilda: The Musical.
Some of the categories they were recognised for include best musical, best performer in musical, best choreography, best sound design and best costume design.
The awards were voted for by the public, proving that the production was a raging success with East London audiences.
Director Mark Williams expressed his appreciation for the recognition and the support they have been receiving.
“It is wonderful to have been recognised by those who saw the production and voted for us. The support is humbling and affirming for us as a cultural department and as a school.
“Smaller performances will be the focus this year as the drama skills deepen and expand at Merrifield, which is very exciting,” Williams said.
East London’s Guild Theatre received the favourite local theatre award for the second year in a row.
Stirling High School and the SonwaSakuba Institute for Performing Arts will be putting on their own large-scale productions of Hairspray and Sarafina!, vying for their shot at the 2024 awards.
Stirling High’s Hairspray will take to the stage in March.
The show involves 123 pupils and 29 staff members as either cast or crew.
Stirling’s Charnè van den Berg said Hairspray explores themes which are relevant for contemporary challenges.
“Teenagers are still faced with personal identity issues and discrimination in various forms and what they are going through is captured well in the play,” she said.
“It gives the pupils an opportunity to tell their story and deliver a message that is important to them.”
The SonwaSakuba Institute recently hosted auditions for Sarafina!
Director and choreographer Sonwa Sakuba, said he was excited to bring this play to local audiences given the differences between the onscreen adaptation of the 1990s and the original source material.
