All the preparations and rehearsals have come to an end at Dyffryn Taf School, Whitland, and their annual school production is underway this week. Calamity Jane is the show for this year and performances began on Monday.
Calmity Jane is an energetic musical about an unlikely romance of famed western tomboy Calamity Jane and gunfighter Wild Bill Hickock. In an attempt to lure a handsome army lieutenant away from another woman, Jane trades in her gun- slinging and uniforms for housekeeping and dresses, and wins the affections of Wild Bill instead. The 1953 film of Calamity Jane catapulted Doris Day to fame. Will the same be true for the Dyffryn Taf cast? We will have to wait and see! There will be seven performances over this week. Four evening shows open to all, from Tuesday through until today (Friday). There will also be two morning shows for local primary schools and an afternoon performance for local senior citizens. The cast, choir and orchestra have all been in rehearsals for several weeks and everyone is hoping to put on a great show!
Behind the scenes, students and staff have been hard at work designing and making the sets for the show, creating all the publicity materials for the event and contacting local businesses to try and raise the sponsorship money that is vital to the success of the production. The school would like to thank all those who have pledged their support to the production - without their contributions, it would be impossible to put on an event on this scale. Headteacher Mr. Robert Newsome, said: "My thanks go to our talented students and staff. They have demonstrated excellent teamwork and co- operation, both behind the scenes and on the stage, to sustain a professional standard throughout the week of the production.
Dyffryn Taf's annual production has become an important part of the school calendar and also that of the local community. It is predicted that about 1,500 people will attend the event over the week.