1

Parents’ and Friends’ HallTrinity Grammar School, Kew

16, 17 & 19 March

Trinity Grammar School and Ruyton Girls’ School2018 Senior School Play

CandideA play by Scott Hunter

Thursday 22, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 March Parents’ and Friends’ Hall, Trinity Grammar School, Kew

Thursday 22, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 March Parents’ and Friends’ Hall, Trinity Grammar School, Kew

2

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGEPerhaps the last thing you would expect from a Trinity/Ruyton Production comprised of young adults would be a staged version of Voltaire’s 250 year old French philosophical novel, Candide. Adapted by Scott Hunter, the play tells the tale of Candide, ‘The Optimist,’ who sets out on a quest to be reunited with his childhood love, Cunegonde. As he struggles through a series of hilarious misadventures, Candide is forced to question his optimistic outlook: is life a cruel, or a kind expedition?

Throughout the play, Voltaire presents the 18th Century as an era considered by the characters to be the “best of all possible worlds”, whilst also presenting it as a “hypocritical sham.” Candide deals with big ideas in an absurdist and surreal manner, inviting us to take a critical look at our own time.

So, how could this shocking and sometimes bizarre and surreal fantasy be written by one of the foremost philosophers of the Enlightenment? Through Voltaire’s use of ideas from the Enlightenment, his vision becomes clearer. He explores the notion that all men are created equal and possess free will, that superstitious and intolerant traditions can be challenged, and the way in which radical scientific development has inspired reformation in society through reason, rather than force. However, Voltaire continually returns to one central idea, that we live in the “best of all possible worlds”, exploring the idea that always striving to be ‘the best’ can lead us to fall into the same trap as Voltaire’s contemporaries. As Dr. Pangloss, Candide’s mentor in the play says, “human grandeur is very dangerous”.

We have exciting young talent on and off the stage in this production. The actors and crew have faced many challenges and I am extremely proud of their creative and artistic endeavours. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these students who clearly have a taste for melodrama and satirical performance. Thank you to an enthusiastic cast and to our inspiring student crew for making Scott Hunter’s purposefully ‘cheap’ aesthetic and ridiculous tone in this adaptation look and feel sophisticated and meaningful.

A wholehearted thank you to Yvonne Vas, who has masterfully coordinated the costume design and development team with a careful measure of discernment and light-hearted fun, enabling us to explore and enjoy Hunter’s surrealist vision. Special thanks to Trudy Parry and Karina Woolrich for their brilliant and energised work on this production. Thanks must also be extended to Gabrielle Gautier and her team for making our eyes pop and our bellies laugh with their amazing makeup creations.

We sincerely thank and gratefully acknowledge all of the parents and staff members who have freely given their time, skills and resources in helping the students create this madly bizarre world.

Now, strap yourself in for an action-packed evening, one which, incidentally, also promises to reveal the meaning of life …

Mark Lauber Director

3

4

SYNOPSISThe story of Voltaire’s Candide: as adapted in 2 hilarious hours by a quirky amateur theatre group. Candide, the unlucky innocent, is led through a series of outlandish, side-splitting misadventures that span nine countries in order to be reunited with his childhood love.

Along his journey he encounters shipwrecks and pirates, war, passion, riches beyond the comprehension of mortal man, death by fire, hanging and impalement, Inquisitions, earthquakes, volcanoes, revolution, slave traders, French Cafes, and sheep — lots of sheep.

The escapades and misadventures Candide endures leads him to confront his cheery outlook on life, is life cruel or kind? In the end, optimism and good prevail.

Candide discovers that the best of all possible worlds is a simple life along-side his true love, and the best example of optimism is a farmer who plants his garden and trusts that it will grow. The play is narrated by Pangloss, the philosopher of Optimism, Paquette, the generous chambermaid, and the Old Woman with No Name and Only One Buttock, who has only one buttock!

5

6

CAST St John Barter-Waters The Third Cannibal

Will Browning The Merchant Who Hates Bacon

Will Campbell Heinrich, The Grand Inquisitor

Hamilton Crouch James The Anabaptist, The First Executioner, The Slave Auctioneer

Jacqueline Du The Godmother, Flashback Old Woman, Don Fernando’s First Lady, Madame Clairon

Tom Fewster Voltaire, The Eunuch

Eloise Gray Horse

Isabel Hale The Old Woman With No Name And Only One Buttock

Nabil Hassine Sheep, The University Surgeon

Jake Helder The Slave Bidder, Policeman 2

Nicola Iser The Other Amazon Princess, Mademoiselle Youyou

Jack Lear The Army Deserter, The Lucky Nun, Flashback Cacambo

Sarah Leong Sheep

Georgia Long Sheep, The Amazon Princess, Mademoiselle Mimi

Nick Maher The First Cannibal

Will Murphy Bulgarian Soldier, Don Issachar

Charly Oakley Cacambo

James Parry Candide

Morgan Payne A Biscayan Who Married His Godmother, The Second Cannibal

Laura Pryor Cunegonde

Lucas Rindt The Inspector General

Michael Sakinofsky Flashback Cunegonde, Don Fernando D’ibaraa Y Figueora Y Mascarenes Y Lampour-Dos Y Souza

Claudia Schonfeldt Paquette

Georgia Schonfeldt Horse

Sam Sims Bulgarian Soldier 2, The Drill Sergeant, The Revolutionary Commander, Martin the Pessimist, Policeman 1

Anson So The Second Executioner, The Messenger From The Jungle

Tom Stella Dr Pangloss

7

Emma Sutherland The Viceroy Of The Inquisition, The Revolutionary Comrade, The Pirate King

Steven Vas Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh

Maya Wilmshurst Baroness Thunder-ten-tronckh, The Queen Of The Amazon

Fiona Woolrich The Unlucky Beggar

Maggie Zheng Sheep, Don Fernando’s Second Lady, Miss Rattoli

8

PRODUCTION TEAM Director Mark Lauber

1st Assistant Directors Christopher Bantick, Stewart Lucy

2nd Assistant Directors Rose Adams, Spencer Hines, Thomas Little

Production Manager Mollie Farrell

Production Assistant Spencer Hines

Stage Manager Matthew Di Petta

Technical Manager Chris Elliott

Technical Director Tom Vaughn

Technical Assistant Will Deed

Animation Design Felix Barnett, Rhys Delios Callanan

Set and Large Props Andrew Plant, Lee Stanford

Costume Coordinator Yvonne Vas

Costume Assistants Trudy Parry, Karina Woolrich

Makeup and Hair Coordinator Gabrielle Gautier

Student Crew Chorus Director Georgia Berti

Backstage Kai Chapman, Stanley Chen, Luke Giuliano, Annabel Maher, Daniel Sevo

Tech Samuel Crichton, Charlie Limmer, Ben Robison, Daniel Smith

Makeup and Hair Georgia Berti, Seanzel He, Alice Houlihan, Annabel Hsu, Sophie Johnson, Claudia Schwarz, Lily Stephens

Front of House Nicholas Beniac-Brooks, Nicholas Stephens, Trinity Prefects

Parents and Helpers Faith Anderson, Gabrielle Baron, Marissa Barter-Waters, Debbie Browning, Ken Browning, Gabrielle Gautier, Vanessa Gautier, Melinda Gray, Carolyn Harris, Pearly Khaw, Fiona Lear, Sarah Long, Sally Morrison, Trudy Parry, Andrea Rindt, Sharon Smith, Yvonne Vas, Russell Waters, Nina Wellington-Iser, Karina Woolrich.

Acknowledgements Artifishal Studios, Ben Fon Photography, Brett Rothnie, FODAT, Jon Willis: CVP, Matthew Barry: Mount Avoca Winery, Rosa Campagnaro, Trinity Maintenance, Marion Thompson, Will Conyers.

9

10

CAST STATEMENTS

St John Barter-WatersSt John has enjoyed participating in plays throughout his years at Trinity. He was part of the Chorus in both Frankenstein and After Juliet, and in Candide plays Cannibal #3 as well as a range of Chorus roles. St John hopes you enjoy the performance as much as he enjoyed working on it.

Will BrowningIt is clear that bacon is, in any form, detestable. Who could claim to enjoy that juicy, meaty snack? It is clearly the issue underpinning almost all of society’s current major social issues, from unethical overconsumption to privately owned means of production. The entire ethos surrounding this reprehensibly execrable meaty snack is deplorable and clearly needs removing from our modern society. Hopefully Will can convey these ideas as The Merchant Who Hates Bacon, whilst repressing his personal infatuation with the infamous egg and bacon roll.

Will CampbellWill has been involved in Drama at Trinity since Year 8 and has loved every minute of the audition, rehearsal and performance process. In Candide Will has been typecast as Heinrich (an arrogant spoiled brat) and The Grand Inquisitor (an airheaded tyrant) following his success in Year 9 as Ryan (a rich spiteful brat) and in Year 8 as The Red Queen (an unhinged tyrant). Will hopes this won’t change your opinion of him.

Hamilton CrouchHamilton plays several roles in this year’s production of Candide. These include The First Executioner, James the Anabaptist and The Slave Auctioneer. These are all quite different roles, and whilst this provided its challenges, Hamilton still had a lot of fun growing and exploring his various characters.

Jacqueline DuThis is Jacqui’s first Trinity/Ruyton Production and to be honest, if they were willing to give her a role, they must have been pretty short on cast members. Nonetheless, she has had an absolute blast playing Madame Clairon and she would like to thank everyone involved for making it an amazing experience.

Tom FewsterTom has been a member of Trinity’s Drama program since Year 7 and enjoyed his breakout role as Matt in 2014’s The Audition. He is very excited to perform many roles tonight, including Voltaire, who authored the novel Candide — or did, before Pangloss ruined his script.

Eloise GrayEloise has very much enjoyed taking part in the Senior School Play. She feels that she has truly flourished in the iconic role of Horse 1. She hopes to take part in many future Trinity/Ruyton productions and that you will enjoy the performance.

Isabel Hale Izzy is very excited to be playing the Old Woman with No Name and Only One Buttock. Izzy has taken her role very seriously and developed her character through method acting, which mainly involved complaining a lot about aches and pains.

Nabil HassineNabil has been involved in many Drama productions during his time at Trinity. He is excited to be playing the University Surgeon and a Sheep in Candide and hopes you enjoy the show.

11

Jake HelderJake’s first performance in a Trinity/Ruyton play sees him playing the roles of three separate dead bodies. He slept for at least seven hours a night to prepare for these roles. People thought he’d be a poor actor, but he’s proved them dead wrong.

Nicola IserNicola has considerable experience in the performing arts, having studied classical ballet for 13 years, as well as being part of Ruyton’s Year 7 & 8 plays. This is Nicola’s first Trinity/Ruyton production and she has loved being involved — especially in her role as, not, The Amazon Princess, but The ‘Other’ Amazon Princess.

Jack LearJack isn’t new to the Drama Department at Trinity. Since starting at Trinity in Year 5, he has performed in countless productions, including Beauty and the Beast and most recently, The Addams Family. He continues to be an active member of an amateur theatre company outside of school where he has had lots of fun performing in various shows. Jack is super excited to take on the role of The Lucky Nun as well as a multitude of Chorus parts in this incredible show. He hopes you enjoy the performance.

Sarah LeongSarah has enjoyed working with the cast of Candide during the rehearsal process, forming many new friendships along the way. She hopes you enjoy the performance as you watch her play Sheep #3. At least now she is able to play a living animal, having previously starred as a Dead Rat.

Georgia LongGeorgia is very honoured to be playing the prestigious role of a Sheep in the production of Candide this year. This role involved hours of preparation, including watching many sheep videos. However, the most challenging part of Georgia’s role was finding out that fake tan doesn’t mix well with a white, fleecy costume. Georgia hopes you enjoy the show.

12

Nick Maher Nick has been in a number of school productions throughout his time at Trinity and he thinks he has hit his peak role as Cannibal #1. Not Cannibal #2, or Cannibal #3, that’s right, Cannibal #1. He spent weeks on a meat only diet in preparation for his role. He hopes you enjoy the play and have a good laugh.

Will MurphyMaking only his second starting appearance in five years in the Trinity Drama line-up, Will is an untested mature-age rookie...Can he deliver for the side? Probably not, but let’s give it a go.

Charly OakleyBeing cast as a man was … interesting. It was a challenge, but after a few long rehearsals, Charly is now convinced she no longer knows how to play a woman. Some people choose Maths Methods; Charly chooses method acting. Enjoy the show!

James Parry Last year in After Juliet, I was cast in the role of Benvolio — a peace-loving guy who was clueless about women. This year, I’m cast as an affable optimist who is even more clueless about women. Is the Drama Department trying to tell me something? If life imitates art, I’m in for a rough couple of years.

Morgan PayneIn Candide, Morgan takes on the roles of Cannibal #2, A Biscayan Who Married his Godmother, a Bulgarian soldier, a piece of scenery and a stagehand in a black morph suit. He enjoys all of these roles, although he wishes he could have got some… meatier parts. You know? Something he could sink his teeth into. Regardless, he has thoroughly enjoyed participating in Candide.

Laura Pryor Laura is thrilled to be playing the part of Cunegonde in Candide. A character much like herself, Cunegonde is a woman who is loved by everyone and is breathtakingly gorgeous. Laura hopes to win everyone’s heart and that you enjoy the show.

Lucas RindtIn his many productions at Trinity, Lucas has gone from no talking at all (The Cow in Into the Woods), to grunting (Lurch in The Addams Family) to now, a person who shouts so much that he’d probably make your ears bleed. Lucas had the absolute pleasure of being cast as the Inspector General in Candide. This is Lucas’s first (and last!) play with Trinity Grammar School. He has found it to be an incredible experience and he wishes the younger boys good luck in future productions!

Michael Sakinofsky *say everything in a Spanish accent* What? I sense you do not like me. I did not choose to play a #savage in the amazing play that is Candide. I know what you’re thinking, I only played this character so I could literally shoot the messenger. Well, you’re right! Anyhoo, enjoy the performance that is me, Don Fernando, D’ibaraa y Chipotle de Salsa Verde. Try not to swoon at my beauty.

Claudia Schonfeldt Claudia has been part of many Trinity/Ruyton productions throughout her time at high school and greatly appreciates being part of the drama community. Candide has, of course been no exception. Claudia has thoroughly enjoyed taking on the role of Paquette, a noble chambermaid. To prepare for her role she spent many hours cleaning rooms and learning how to spell her name; Paquette not Packet. She hopes you enjoy the production, and laugh a little too!

13

Georgia SchonfeldtGeorgia has thoroughly enjoyed being involved in the Trinity/Ruyton Senior School Play this year. She’d like to thank the Trinity Drama Department for helping her channel her inner horse in her role as Horse. Georgia looks forward to being involved in more Trinity/Ruyton productions.

Sam SimsYear 12, Captain of Visual Arts. The sixth school production Sam has been involved in.

Anson SoIt has been a new and amazing experience to be part of this production. The energy and supportive environment will certainly make Candide a great show.

Tom StellaTom’s theatrical experience includes the portrayal of a balding, androgynous monster in The Addams Family … and not much else. The only natural progression of this particular actor, therefore, is the portrayal of the world’s worst philosopher/ignoramus — another role for which he is beautifully typecast.

Emma SutherlandEmma has really enjoyed the preparation and rehearsal process of Candide. Emma plays the roles of The Pirate King, a dancing Revolutionary Comrade and a continuously bored Viceroy. She hopes you will all enjoy the play and maybe even be inspired to drop of out society and live on a pirate ship.

Stephen VasStewart Lucy … Christopher Bantick ... Mark Lauber and Stephen Vas are all names synonymous with success. From a young age, Stephen has had a love for performing. He starred as Ben the Post Mouse in Squeak Street and now he takes on the role of Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh in Candide. When he’s not being a star on stage, Stephen loves the odd sail down by the Peninsula and the occasional canter on Buck, his pony.

Maya WilmshurstThis is Maya’s first Senior School Production, after having played a Witch and a Tuckshop Lady in Middle School Plays. Maya has loved being a part of this amazing cast and hopes to be a part of future productions. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Fiona WoolrichThis is Fiona’s first Trinity/Ruyton Play. Previously she has performed in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Hating Alison Ashley. Juggling a variety of Chorus roles in Candide has kept Fiona on her toes whilst she rehearsed for her breakout role as The Unlucky Beggar! She hopes you enjoy the show.

Maggie ZhengMaggie has always loved participating in the Trinity and Ruyton productions. This year she is feeling very privileged to be a part of the amazing cast in her third production, Candide. Maggie plays Sheep #2, Don Fernando’s Second Lady and Miss Rattoli, a mime in Paris. This is one of the most fun plays Maggie has been involved in and she hopes that you enjoy the next two hours as much as she does.

14

15

An A

mate

ur P

rod

uctio

n B

y A

rrang

em

ent w

ith O

RiG

iN T

M T

he

atric

al

on b

ehalf o

f Trin

ity G

ram

mar S

cho

ol, K

ew

.