Amor Vincit Omnia (AVO)

AVO is the latest in an increasingly long line of musicals staged by LTPSS. There were six performances: two per day for three consecutive days with the final evening performance on Saturday 12th July being the VIP Gala Performance.

AVO was very challenging and we managed to record a number of firsts.

The Script

Basically, the story was told in two languages – English and Putonghua; one scene was one conversation with dialogue alternating between the two. Although AVO is at heart a love story, it also deals with cultural, social, political and historical issues. Also, there was a high number of scenes requiring a lot of co-ordinated work from the backstage crew.

The Cast and Crew

In previous musicals, most of the main cast was from senior forms e.g. Form 5. For AVO, the majority of the cast and crew are from the lower school i.e. Forms 1 – 3.

Timing

Previous musicals have been staged in October / November meaning that rehearsals took place over the summer holiday. AVO was staged in July – the end of the school year; auditioning started in September and allowances had to be made for exams and other commitments. A very concentrated rehearsal period was organised in the two weeks before the first performance date.

Technically

The large screen on stage was used and images were ‘back projected’. This reduced the size of the stage so a large extension to the stage had to be designed and constructed. Temporary tiered seating accommodating just over 200 people was hired and this added another special feel to the event.

Musically

We used a wide range of resources to produce the music: playing live on stage, the band playing live with special arrangements for piano and gu zheng and specially created ‘playback’ tracks.

A lot of challenges and a lot of firsts; it was hard work and the results were spectacular. Well done and thank you to all those involved no matter the size of your contribution.

Participating in the AVO musical has been a long, tough, and memorable experience for me. I have learnt much during this journey and I shall have long lasting memories of all the things I have experienced, especially working with all my schoolmates, teachers and other people who were involved.

I feel that our school has really set out to produce a musical with all the aspects of professional theatre work. When I received and read the script, I felt like I was working and participating in a professional production of a musical with very detailed divisions of duties and meticulous planning. Through this process, I have learnt about the inner workings of professional theatre work.

As one of the main characters in the musical, it is difficult to forget the work and effort everyone has put in producing this musical, especial the people who were by my side, helping, supporting and participating with me from the beginning to the end. It is the feeling of camaraderie among all as we strove towards a common goal which kept us going, even when we all felt tired, hungry, and occasionally beaten during the tedious and repetitive rehearsal period. However, it was a true bonding experience and in the end, I think, we all enjoyed the overall process.

Towards the end of the AVO musical, we even started talking about the next musical and how wonderful and exciting it would be if we could perhaps be able to participate in it and experience all that we have had during this one.  

I think we are all really looking forward to the next musical and firmly believe we can put on another good show.

Eddy Fung  4S

As I said, this is my favorite musical ever. I was delighted that I was given an opportunity to be an actor and participate in the musical. When we were given the scripts, we studied our characters and tried to immerse ourselves into the characters. We could not just recite and read out the lines. Instead, we had to study thoroughly the background of the play and personalities of our roles so as to fully understand the characters in a three-dimensional way.  During the rehearsals , we acquired different acting and singing skills.  Our theatrical knowledge and performance technics were enhanced by the advice of our teachers.   
The last time, I participated in a musical I was one of the backing chorus. This time, it was more challenging for me because it was my first performance as one of the main casts in a school production. We were quite lost at the beginning. However, all the challenges made us stronger. We learnt by trail and error, and then improved with the help of our teachers and student helpers. We were able to develop our skills and conquer our fears, especially during the final rehearsals. We dared to act with confidence. We were not professionals, but we were all determined to aim high.
In the six shows, we succeeded and did our best. We are thankful to all the support from the school and those who helped us through everything. The applause from the audience and the learning experience will live in us for the rest of out lives. 

 Kenny Cheung 3S