Richmond School pupils will be unravelling a plethora of mysteries in their production of ‘Porridge’ during three shows at the Hope Community Church this week.
Porridge focuses on the community of Happy Valley that experiences a crime wave and a caseload of mysteries to be solved, from a kidnapped cow to a missing recipe book.
It is down to private detective Jack Spratt to uncover the truth, including the dirty secret Papa Bear is hiding behind his porridge empire.
One of the teachers driving the production, Grant Irvine, says the biennial production involves 180 children aged between nine and 11 and involves dancing, singing, acting and a fair dose of dad jokes.
“It’s amazing to see children tentative at the start and now blossoming. It’s brilliant for their self-management and working cooperatively with a group.
“Then taking it to the Hope Community Church and performing for their family takes it to the next level again.”
He says students are often hesitant to put their hands up for performing roles, but once they get a taste of it, they wish they had taken up more opportunities.
In the past the school has written its own shows, which Grant says is great but also a huge effort.
So this year it has purchased Porridge and that creates a different type of show for the school.
The cast get the chance to perform four times on stage, including a dress rehearsal and then two evening performances and a matinee show.
Tickets are on sale at the school office with shows on Wednesday 21 June at 7pm and Thursday 22 June at 12pm and 7pm.
