ESTEVAN — The students at Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) are counting down to one of their biggest events of the year: the staging of the Broadway musical Mamma Mia! Set to run Dec. 13-15 at the ECS cafetorium, the production has turned into a school-wide effort.
The musical, which features ABBA's iconic songs, follows Sophie Sheridan as she invites three men—each a potential father—to her wedding in hopes of discovering the truth about her parentage.
It's a story full of love, laughter and heart, brought to life by a cast of 25 students, supported by a backstage crew of about 20 students, and many more in other capacities. The production is directed by Jillian Connely.
Production manager Adrienne Dechief lauded the sheer scale of the collaboration.
"The entire thing is run by students at this point. They do all the jobs," she said. "We've had construction class building the sets, art students designing them, and cosmetology students taking charge of hair and makeup, and then the students in the functionally integrated program have also done work collecting and creating props. So, it's really been a whole school effort."
Dechief also noted the students' remarkable work ethic.
"We've been rehearsing four days a week since September and then the last couple of weeks has been five days a week," she said. "The students have worked incredibly hard, not only at rehearsals but at home as well, practising with videos of choreography. We have done extra practices at lunchtime some days just to get them ready and confident. And this weekend we're really seeing it's coming together. I think that we can see it on the students as well. They feel so confident, and they know what they're doing. We're very, very excited. And I'm so proud of all the work that they've put in."
For some students, this production is a milestone in their creative journey. Charli Sharko, who plays Sophie, called it her first true acting experience after working backstage on The Little Mermaid earlier this year. Initially nervous about singing, she credited the support of her castmates for helping her grow.
"At first, I was actually really excited. But then the first couple of practices, I became absolutely terrified, because, at the start, I wasn't really fully confident in myself, especially in my singing and voice," she said. "But as time went on, I slowly built confidence. And the people here really helped me out. So now I think I'm good with Sophie."
Sharko added that auditioning for the musical was a great decision which she recommended to others to try.
"It is literally one of the best decisions I've made. I'm so happy that I decided to audition and that I'm part of this because the people are amazing, the experience is thrilling, and I love making people smile," she said.
Kegan Littlefield, who portrays Bill, one of Sophie's potential fathers, brings prior experience to the stage, having played Grimsby in The Little Mermaid. Yet, he finds this production even more fulfilling.
"There's so much more choreography and vocal harmonies this time. It's just amazing to see it all come together," he said.
Like Sharko, Littlefield emphasized the intensity of the preparation.
"We're here after school till about 8 p.m. most days now," he said, noting that they started slower in September, but lately it's been all day, every day, and the weekends.
"It's hard work, but we want it to be good," he added.
For senior Kristina Fernandez, who plays Tanya, the production marks her first on-stage role after moving to Estevan last year.
"I've performed as a dancer before, but singing not so much," she said. "When I got the role of Tanya, it just clicked. … Tanya, she's very, very aloof. She flirts with people and she's obsessed with cosmetics and stuff like that. … She's just a very cool character."
Fernandez expressed gratitude for the camaraderie among the cast and crew.
"I needed to work on my singing to really get into it. But overall, during these past rehearsals, it's been really great, and with all the support around me, it's been really nice," she said.
"I'm excited and nervous, but I think that when the show comes on, people are going to see the hard work we've put in."
Dechief highlighted the significance of the show for ECS, noting it's the second large-scale musical since the school's productions resumed in 2023.
"We are just building from the momentum that we started last year and we've gotten a bigger cast, we have more crew working. It's grown a lot between last year and this year, which is very exciting," she said.
Others involved with the production are choreographer Maria Walter, assistant choreographer Jenna McAuley, vocal coach Meaghan Casemore, technical co-ordinator Kyle Whitehead and technical supervisor Tom Mauss.
The rest of the cast includes Vidya Dela Peña as Donna, Iona Rañosa as Rosie, Faith Placer as Ali, Mary Dela Cruz as Lisa, Timothy Briz as Sam, Noah Stepp as Harry, Kaiden Pick as Sky, Lucas Schott as Pepper, and Liam Tyler as Eddie.
The chorus involves Jazmine Anne Alvento, Marchette Coronel, Ayesha Duran, Taylor Ellis, Tenaya Empey, Thessa Espina, Landry Deatherage, Mahaley Fonstad, Jasmine Gal, Kathryn Orlowski-Lever and Rukevwe Oyibo.
On the crew are stage manager Kerison Burnett and assistant stage manager Sophia Murphy. The backstage crew and props are Finnley Mowchenko, Ashleigh Messner, Tyann Babyak and Emma Morhart. The lights team is Malina Stead, Alexa Delainey, Emmalee Ursu and Sam Mantei. The sound is up to Ethan Nixon, Venlina Zhou and Ayen Ordonez.
The set design, construction and art were done by teacher Tara Johns and Matthew Van de Woestyne, Jayden Oshaway, Nevaeh Wakely, Kylie Tyler and Natalie Davis. Hair and make-up crew includes teacher Joyce Mack and Madison Holtz, Madison Raynard, Morgan Bussian, Makenzie Crosby-Myers, Saphyre Dow, Tenaya Empey, Cecilia McCaskill, Ayla Proust, Brynn Mantei, Sarah Greening and Kathryn Orlowski-Lever.
The performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 14, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 15. Tickets, priced at $20 for adults and $15 for seniors, can be purchased at Henders Drugs or the ECS office.
Reflecting on the journey, Sharko summed up the spirit of the production at its latest stages.
"Now, that we're doing dress rehearsals, and we have finally gotten to do our full run-throughs, I'm seeing it all come together, and it's going to be great."
