Fourth-graders at Joaquin Miller Elementary School presented Rebel With A Kickstand on Thursday evening, March 14, in the school auditorium. The musical was also performed for fellow students in two performances on Friday, March 15.
“In this play Grandma Jackie goes backyard camping with her grandchildren Bobby and Susie,” explained volunteer and retired teacher John Ossiff, who co-wrote and co-directed the musical with fifth-grade teacher Melissa Pamperin. “When she tells them that she was and still is a rebel, they don’t believe her.”
“So she takes them back in time to when she was a girl, to the day she got her bike. Not just any bike, a bike that could travel to other dimensions. She and her pet sloth, Nutin, used the bike, and ended up in a very different place.”
“There they found a kingdom in crisis, with a king being tricked by an evil new advisor. They helped the king see what was going on, and helped save the kingdom… [and] the treasures of the kingdom, including a magic mirror, a magic harp and a goose that laid golden eggs.”
The play include seven musical numbers and Pamperin made all of the costumes for the actors. The students worked for months to prepare the musical.
In January, 57 students tried out for the 27 parts in the play. Another eight students operated lights and sound and worked as backstage crew, added Ossiff. Two students played keyboards for the performance.
The students in the cast and crew rehearsed during lunch time and many mornings before school to prepare the production.
“The cast and crew all agreed that the experience of putting on this performance helped them learn and gain self-confidence,” Ossiff also said. “They wish to extend their thanks to the entire Miller community who helped make this production possible.”
