Anything Goes (2011)
Every two years, Alexandra College stages a large scale musical in the Mill Theatre, Dundum. It is open to all fourth and fifth year girls, and everyone has to audition to take part.
This year, the musical of choice was ‘Anything Goes’, music and lyrics by Cole Porter, script by P.G Wodehouse. For audition songs, we all had to sing the title number, ‘Anything Goes’.
After a week of nerves and tension in the auditions, Remy Naidoo and Eleanor McGovern were chosen to play the lead roles of Reno Sweeney and Hope Harcourt, with Jenny Mulvin, Chloe Duggan, Georgia Murphy, Eleanor White and Anna-Rose Charleton playing supporting roles. Mary Kilduff and Beth Milofsky were chosen for the key backstage job of stage managers. However, the show couldn’t be performed with an all-girls cast, so we also enlisted the help of four boys, Jack Bailey, Andrew O’Donoghue, Matthew Tector and Lorcan Clarke from Sandford Park School.
Rehearsals started in November, and almost immediately the schedule was demanding, requiring full commitment form all cast members. Around Christmas we experi- enced a lot of disruption to rehearsals, due to problems relating to the snow, like school days cancelled, and people living far away not being able to make their way into school.
However we soldiered on anyway, even meeting for some rehearsals over the Christmas holidays. Things began to get really exciting after Christmas, when we all started to get fitted for costumes, and our sets started to take shape, allowing us to rehearse in costume and on sets. One of our most nerve-wracking moments in the weeks leading up to the show was performing in the senior school assembly, singing the song ‘Bon Voyage’, the show’s opening chorus number. This was in full costume, and many of us (including me!) were dressed up as men, so it gave us all a good laugh.
We finally go into the Mill Theatre to rehearse just two days before opening night, so tensions were running high for those few days.
When opening night finally came around, it’s safe to say that every single person behind the scenes of the performance, including backstage crew, costume crew, props crews teachers and performers alike. However, once the adrenaline kicked in there was no stopping us, and we performed the very best we could, with backstage work- ing overtime to keep everything running smoothly. On the Friday night the show was filmed, so thank goodness we delivered another assured and (mainly) mistake-free performance.
Altogether, we did five shows, and they all literally flew by in a whirl of hairspray, painted-on stubble and ironing sailor suits. The musical was a definite highlight of my personal school year, and I’m sure I speak for the whole cast when I say that the memories of those few months will stay with me forever.
Anna-Rose Charleton
The Pajama Game (2009)
A year and a half had passed 
since The combined music and drama departments had put on their production of “Oklahoma” in The Mill Theatre Dundrum and they decided that it was probably time to do it all again!
The Production team of Lynn Brehony, Evelyn Hearns and Ben Murray began the audition process in September ’08 after a decision was made to put on the fifties musical “The Pajama Game”. There was an enormous response from the students and after many hours spent deliberating, a cast of 40 was chosen. Susie Gibbons was cast in the leading role of ‘Babe Williams’, with Andrea Nolan, Sally McCarthy, Meadhbh O’Rourke, Amy Nix, Sarah Ridge and others playing principal roles and a large chorus.
The boys for this production came from Sandford Park School and Gonzaga College. Chris Shortall played superintendantpajama2 ‘Sid Sorokin’, Laszlo Sztana as ‘Hines’, David Moriarty as ‘Prez and Niall Moran as ‘Pop’.
The backstage crew were led by Chloe Horne from fifth year who organized them all in a calm and controlled manner, while two of the girls; Molly O’Cathain and Irene Ho did an incredible job of making, or borrowing, the vast array of props and furniture that were needed for this show.
For a show like this with multiple costume changes, a strong wardrobe team was required. Ms. Clodagh Rycraft 
co-pajama3ordinated the costumes and hair and make-up and was ably assisted by a fantastic group of girls from fourth and fifth year.
The show opened on the 21st of January 2009 and ran for four nights with a matinee on the Saturday. With full houses at every performance, the show was received with great enthusiasm and enjoyment from the audience and the students involved have been left with many very precious memories.
Oklahoma! (2007)
September ’06 saw the beginning of a new venture for the combined efforts of the Drama and Music Departments in the College. Lynn Brehony, Evelyn Hearns and Ben Murray began rehearsals for the first ever musical production to take place off the school campus. The venue was to be The Mill Theatre in Dundrum town centre and the production would run for four nights in January 2007. The cast was chosen from many hopeful fourth and fifth year students with Elaine Lavery playing the lead role of ‘Laurie’, Rachel Gleeson playing ‘Ado Annie’ and Heather Burke as ‘Aunt Eller’.
The boys came from a number of different schools: Ciaran O’Rourke who took the role of 
‘Curley’ and Kevin O’Rourkeoklahoma2 as ‘Jud’ came from Gonzaga College, Aaron Heffernan who played the peddler ‘Ali Hakim’ came from Sandford Park School and Frankie Grimes as ‘Will Parker’ came to us from Mount Temple.
Alongside a cast of 36, we had a large group of girls who helped with costumes, make-up and hair, scene painting and backstage. Alannah Horne led the backstage crew in her difficult role as stage manager.
A past pupil with experience of set design helped with the elaborate scenery plans and many a weekend and weeknight was spent painting, sawing and stapling. The almost life size farmhouse was built by Shane Fogarty and became the focal point of a lot of the scenes.
On the 15th of January the cast and crew moved into the theatre. The set was put up, dressing rooms allocated and the stage crew began to practise those difficult scene changes. The lights were focussed, micraphone levels set and the wonderful hair and make up ladies began to work their magic, cajoling even the most reluctant actor into having their cheeks rouged. January 17th was ‘Opening Night’ and it went very well. The cast sang, danced and acted their hearts out and the audience were delighted. Two more nights and then the final performance on Saturday 20th. The show was deemed a great success. All of those involved were exhausted but felt a huge sense of achievement, for what was a magnificent production.
