Musical 2020

This week we interviewed Enric Bautista, the director of the Bell-lloc Musical, to explain the preparations for this great end-of-year party.

[html format=”full_html” different_values=”0″ style_margin_top=”10″]

– Enric, is there anything new this year regarding the Musical? What can you tell us about it?

First and unlike last year when we announced that our history would be based on the expedition of Sir Shackleton to Antarctica, we decided not to reveal anything of the argument. Right now, only the students and teaching staff who are part of the Choral of the musical know the script and the songs that will be performed.
But a really important change over previous years is the addition to the team of external collaborations that will help to obtain a more professional result.

– External collaborations? Tell us a little about what they consist of.

For a few weeks, every Monday and Wednesday, a group of students of ESO receive a specific dance training through a dance workshop directed by a professional choreographer. This is Eduard Boada Esteve, a former pupil of Bell-lloc, who runs the E.B.E. Dance School, a Dance Academy in the city of Girona and with which it participates with competition groups in national and international competitions. The workshop is a success and the students are keen and interested in improving their dance skills, which will help them perform more complex choreographies.

In the musical field, we also had the help and vocal advice of Gemma Coma Alabert, a renowned mezzosoprano from Girona, who is currently working for operas at the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, ​​as you can follow in the its official website. Already last year she gave us some guidelines for working on vocal performance which helped us to prepare the songs.

– Are there also so many students interested in participating in this course?

This year we have increased the number of ESO students interested in participating by 13.4%. We also have more participants in the choir, which consists of 27 students and 21 members of the teaching and administration and services staff of the school. We are excited to have more and more additions, either as a volunteer to sing or volunteering to do whatever is needed for the project.

– Apart from being the final party of the school, what educational goals do you think are working in the preparation of the Musical?

The musical, of course, helps students explore artistic aspects such as body expression and musical and rhythmic education, but also teaches them to work as a team in a common project that integrates students of all ages and school courses, improving their personal and social interrelation. And it’s not all about singing, performing or dancing a choreography on the day of the performance. This year we have a lot of students interested and ready to take part in more internal aspects of the organization, such as writing lyrics for songs or script, creating scenery, more specific works in production or even for in the making of the wardrobe.
This makes the project a cooperative work of great cross-cutting nature.
Also, in our ongoing quest for excellence, based on our recent years of experience, we have tried to incorporate some organizational changes to improve many aspects. And as for the conception of the show, we have come up with some challenges that are not easy but that encourage us to work with great enthusiasm.

– At what point in the preparation of the Musical are you at?

The project is born the day after Shackleton’s performance and with the first team meetings in June and July to decide the argument and make the songs selection. This choice for this year’s musical has not been easy because we have made a total of 112 preselected songs, which represented more than 7 and a half hours of music.
At the moment, we are working with the Choir of students and staff of the musical the interpretation of the 12 definitive songs, with the view set at the end of February, that is when we will make the recording. We are just finishing to shape the whole work with writing the letters and the dialogues. And, as we said, we have also started preparing the choreography.
In January we plan to start with the direction of actors and soon more students will be actively involved in the project and we will also work on the artistic design of the set design, decorations and design of lighting, costumes and makeup design and hair salon. As you can see, the gear of the musical requires very interesting teamwork coordination.

– And finally, do you already have a chosen title for the show?

(Enric laughs) Later we will reveal more details and what will be the final title. For now, let’s leave it on “Musical 2020”, an experience for students that we hope you all enjoy on May 15, 2020.

 

[/html]