2022-23: Matilda

After producing two princess-themed musicals, I decided to shift the focus for the 2023-24 season. Our department chose to explore the world of Roald Dahl by staging the musical Matilda.

This production introduced a new set of challenges for our team, such as the need for younger actors. Additionally, I tasked the team with establishing recurring themes to be woven throughout the entire play. This pushed our student designers to collaborate more closely, working together to create original designs for each scene.

One recurring theme we incorporated is the concept of interconnecting cubes, subtly woven into each scene as a tribute to Matilda’s love for books and reading. Every book featured in the show is deliberately white, emphasizing simplicity and uniformity. The only bold use of color throughout the production appears in the letters during the gate scene (pictured below), creating a striking contrast.

Another challenge for the students was to create a musical without the use of the main stage curtains. Traditionally, the curtains close between scenes for set changes, but for Matilda, we kept them open to immerse the audience in the action and make them feel part of the show. This was not only a challenge for the students as they designed and built the sets but also for the crew running the production. As the Crew Manager and the person responsible for ensuring the show runs smoothly, I pushed the crew beyond the usual expectations, particularly during the Classroom Scene. In this scene, over 40 different pieces had to be seamlessly brought on and off the stage while setting up the next scene—all with the audience watching every move.