Noah Hollinshead, 17, and Devon Humphries, 19, are no strangers to the theatre but this particular show involved a significant first-time for both of them. As seasoned actors in 6-7 junior shows, the boys felt ready and excited to take their careers to a new level when the opportunity to direct Aladdin jr. presented itself.
After a full crowd performance today, these two young artists took some time to share what it was like to produce a show as first time directors. Noah explained that their experience as actors helped give them a "really cool vision" for this show. They were eager to try new things, with an overall goal to execute a really fun, exciting show.
[perfectpullquote align="full" bordertop="false" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]"We totally divided and conquered"[/perfectpullquote]
Devon explained that it was helpful to take on these new roles as a team. Even though they came across some challenges, they were pleasantly surprised that it was not as difficult as they thought it might be the first time around. He found it helpful to understand eachother's strengths around the theatre and to cater to what they both knew best. "We totally divided and conquered".
After months of preparation the boys were faced with what they felt was a very successful first show. Noah said that seeing the turnout on day one had been the most surprising part of his experience as a director so far.
"The first one where like 600 kids show up and you’re like whoa…people are coming to see this. It’s just really cool seeing a bunch of kids see your vision come to life."
But he wouldn't let the cast go without credit. As many actors do, he said the cast played a huge role in making the show everything the two directors envisioned. Both Noah and Devon were thrilled with how well all the actors took their direction.
[perfectpullquote align="full" bordertop="false" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]"When you hear the wave of laughter go through the audience it feels great"[/perfectpullquote]
Devon explained how nerve-wracking it can be to work so hard on something creative with the potential that your audience might not even like it. He was happy to see that this was not the case with Aladdin Jr. He said, "when you have this flood of kids come in and kids are so supportive, and when you hear the wave of laughter go through the audience it feels great".
With eruptions of laughter and clapping across a full audience, the show proved to be a great success. It's full of colour, talent, and fun for the whole family.
On top of that, the level of professionalism within the whole show is right on par with what is to expected from performances lead by seasoned directors. There's a slim chance those in the audience would expect to find two young first time directors at the head of this whole production.
Aladdin Jr. will have shows this weekend at Georgian Theatre Friday- Sunday. For tickets click here.
