Broadway style costumes bursting with colour and detail, six sold-out shows, and more than 100 performers—that's just a peek into Artista Academy's performance of the Lion King this weekend.
"It was absolutely incredible," says Gabriela Gallo, the show's director. "We had the best production team I've ever worked with."
She says the costumes were handmade, with headpieces made of white foam, hand-painted and glued together.
"It was the most insane thing I've ever worked on, honestly, because they followed all the Broadway tutorials and created these things from scratch...I mean, they are masterpieces. We had a 12-foot walking giraffe, we had a nine-foot walking elephant and a little baby elephant," she says.
"They looked like real, walking animals. It was just beautiful."
With six shows completed over just two days, she says the 112 eight to 14-year-olds involved, their parents, and volunteers made the event seamless.
She is particularly proud of the commitment, growth, and work cast members put into the show.
"It's just so beautiful to see everyone working together to just make it happen and let these kids have this unforgettable experience," Gallo says.
This particular performance seems to be unforgettable for many, she notes.
"The biggest thing I heard was that this was something Steinbach had not seen before," she says. "The level we were able to get these kids to was just a standard they haven't seen."
It was such a popular performance, she believes a bigger theatre will be needed in the future—though she is grateful to have been able to use the theatre at Steinbach Regional Secondary School.
"The interest is there, the arts are alive and well," Gallo says.
While there are future shows to be performed, she says right now everyone is just celebrating the success of this one.
"I'm going to be riding on that high for a long time."
Written with files from Kenton Dyck
Scenes and costumes from Artista Academy's performance of the Lion King (photos submitted by Gabriela Gallo):