QF Students Prepare to Give Their Musical Showcase Its Stage Debut

Renditions of some of Broadway’s best-loved songs are to be performed live by students from Qatar Foundation schools for the first time, as their SHOWTIME! musical makes its stage debut.

Over the course of three days, Qatar Foundation (QF) Schools Productions will entertain audiences at Education City with extracts and medleys from over 20 well-known musicals, with SHOWTIME! being given its first outing in a theater setting from June 11-13 – and tickets are now on sale.

Highlights of the show have already been screened in a documentary about its creation, with performances being filmed by The Edge Picture Company in locations around QF and earning a string of awards in the Social Media and Short Video categories at the Cannes Film Festival; in the Cinematography, Sound, and Direction categories at the EVCOM London Film Awards; and in the Short Films category at New York Festivals.

With COVID-19 restrictions easing, QF’s Pre-University Education (PUE) is now providing the students with an opportunity to experience the excitement of performing arts in front of a live audience.

The show – led by creative team Steve and Jane Griffiths and West End choreographer Christopher Piper, with music performed by QF’s Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra – will feature favorites from musicals including Wicked, Oliver, Annie, Hairspray, Mary Poppins, and Matilda.

Participating in SHOWTIME! are students from Grades 3 -12 and teachers from across QF schools who share a passion for performing arts. “Through this project, we aspire to shift the performing arts landscape in schools and provide opportunities for students beyond the classroom to explore their passion,” said Yara Darwish, Head of Learning Enrichment, QF.

With students having rehearsed on and off stage for the show over 15 hours a week, PUE intended to give them a full experience of what making a musical involves. Performers are backed up by a full crew of students behind the scenes, working on audiovisual technology, costumes, lights, hair, and makeup, as well as stage management.

“Through this cross-school collaboration involving students and staff members, we want to build the capacity of students’ backstage roles within the theater, and to create a space for those who are passionate about performing arts to be immersed in an intensive experience where they can put their hearts and minds into it,” said Darwish.

There will be two performances of SHOWTIME! on June 11, at 2:30 pm and 7pm, and further shows at 7pm on June 12 and 13 in PUE’s theater, in Education City. Tickets cost QAR100 each and are now available at www.q-tickets.com