After 15 years, 14 plays, and hundreds of singing and dancing students, Bradford West Gwillimbury drama teacher Lesley Coo is calling it quits.
The teacher at St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School is putting on her final play, an original called Our Story, Our Journey: The Musical this week. It is a compilation of songs from plays the school has done over the years, as well as a celebration of the school’s 20th anniversary.
Shows are May 2 at 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., and a sold-out performance May 3 at 7 p.m.
“In a way, (retiring) doesn’t feel real. I found it hard to get started this year because I knew it was the last one,” Coo said. “I’ll probably volunteer because I’m going to miss the kids.”
Along with teaching music, dance and drama, Coo has been in charge of putting together a school play each year since 2004 — switching between existing ones for which students in Grades 4 to 8 can audition, and original productions she writes herself in which several classes participate.
Typically, the end result has upward of 150 students taking part. This year, 240 students from 10 classes are involved.
Coo said each year she spends about 240 hours of her own time to organize and put on these productions, but she always enjoys the process.
“I just love it, and I love what the kids get out of it. They grow in confidence. The working together stuff — it’s invaluable,” she said, adding they also learn time management and other skills that will help them beyond the stage.
Coo said some of her favourite plays the school has done include last year’s The Lion King, Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Peter Pan. Some of her favourite originals she created are And God Saw That It Was Good about the creation story, and Heroes, the idea for which came from a student suggesting a play about superheroes.
Several of the students in this year’s play have appeared in several others.
“It’s fun because you get to act and you get to do something different,” said 12-year-old Spencer Robinson, who starred as Sherlock Holmes in an earlier play. “I had to do an English accent. It was fun.”
Selena Andrez, 14, said Coo and musical director and teacher Diane Viveiros are “positive, optimistic thinkers” who “treat us like friends.”
Coo and Viveiros are favourite teachers among the student actors, added Celina Coquim, 14.
“They’re really encouraging teachers and we’re thankful for all the things they’ve done for us,” she said. “Even if you’re terrible at music, it’s a lot of fun.”
For the final performance, Coo said she expects some tears.
“It’s my own fault I made the final number ‘So Long, Farewell’ from The Sound of Music,” she said, laughing.
