The San Fernando West Secondary school is hoping to make history in March, its students working to bring to life a play inspired by Machel Montano’s 2009 children’s tale, “Boy-Boy and the Magic Drum,” as its first ever large-scale drama production.

“Dream!”, a dramatic adaptation of Montano’s story written by the school’s drama teacher, Dellon Mathison, will not only tell the story of a young man and his love for music but will also serve as a way to raise funds for the repair of the school’s musical equipment.

Despite its nearly 50-year status within the San Fernando community as an educational institution, Mathison told the Express yesterday that the school had never undertaken a production to this scale before.

Over the years, he said, students had grown eager for the chance to express themselves and be a part of something bigger. As such, he said, staff and students have come together to pull together a stage performance, incorporating visual arts, music and drama at the Southern Academy for Performing Arts (SAPA) next month.

“I’ve seen many productions by “prestigious schools” and I’ve found that the government schools tend not to have those things. Knowing my kids, I can see them doing it. It propelled me to put in the work to get it done. I always wanted to do it. My principal had read Montanos’ book and she was thinking we can do something like a concert and integrate bits of Shakespeare and have the kids do performances and so on.”

“Because I was so fixated on doing a production, I decided to transform the story and make it more memorable than a concert. That pushed me to do full scale production. It was the desire to see the kids see themselves on the stage as they can see others do,” Mathison said.

Mathison said that the production will use the book’s premise as the backbone of the plot and will emphasise themes of national pride and patriotism. The play, he said, added life to the characters and highlighted the ‘beauty and power,’ of the country’s national instrument, the steelpan.

For students, he said, the field of drama and the arts offered a space for self expression and development that could rarely be found elsewhere. It allowed students, who may have difficulty reading, to analyse and partake in storytelling in a different way.

Those partaking in the production, he added, were thrilled by the collective effort and the chance to be seen.

“I have students who are excellent on stage with performances, flair and ideas and some of them are weak readers. They have this desire to be on stage and a part of something bigger on them but maybe they lack some of the literacy skill.s we have some kids who struggle with literacy and reading and the more they practise, these skills are honed on. It helps them develop critical thinking and build their confidence. They do character analysis to understand what the characters mean, how the meaning is conveyed etc. it is a tool that can transform people,” he said.

According to Principal Yeanna Kelly Simmons, the production is the first of its kind and will involve work from the integrated arts. Music by the School’s steel orchestra will also be incorporated, she said.

As the School does not currently have its own Hall, the production is in need of donations from willing citizens, to secure the SAPA venue, as well as design costs and student support. Though staff would like all of its students to attend, she said the School was also willing to accept ticket sponsorships for its less fortunate students.

The show is set to be held at the SAPA on Friday March 1. A school show will be done at 10.a.m. at a cost of $50 per ticket, while a second showing at 5.p.m. is open to the public at a cost of $100.

For those who may be willing to contribute to the production, the School can be reached at 657-8356 or via email at sanfernandowest.sec@fac.edu.tt.

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