May 2025
April’s production of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical captivated four sold-out audiences in Jubilee Place, leaving them laughing, crying, clapping along, and up on their feet. The musical, which tells the story of a precocious little girl who overcomes hardships, bringing light to a dark world, resonated deeply with many in attendance. As Matilda Co-Director and MBCI English and Film Studies teacher Wes Koslowsky noted,
“This story is about the littlest kid, standing up against everything to fight for what’s right.”
The scale of MBCI’s biennial musical productions has expanded over the years, with Matilda drawing more than 60% of our student body into the experience in some way. The cast, crew, and orchestra included over 170 students, 36 staff members, and numerous friends of MBCI, showcasing the extraordinary talent within our school and community. MBCI Choir Director and Matilda Conductor Scott Reimer highlighted the technical challenges faced by all involved: “This is a musical that was written for professional artists. This is really demanding technically. They’re having to rise above and really put in a lot of work to make sure they can pull off this music that’s normally performed by professional musicians on Broadway.”
One of the most beautiful aspects of MBCI’s musical productions is the cross-grade collaboration they foster. Matilda, in particular, featured many middle school students in the cast, including two Grade 6 students taking turns as the lead character Matilda Wormwood, performing toe-to-toe alongside other cast leads in Grade 11 and 12. MBCI Drama teacher and Matilda Co-Director Kelly Reimer observed, “What I love about MBCI’s musicals is you have students across grades on our stage working together, getting to know each other, building memories together, laughing together.” This sentiment was echoed by Matilda Producer and MBCI Band teacher Andrew Klassen, who has been involved in 21 MBCI musicals:
“There’s this magical moment where we all come together in Jubilee Place where we start to see things and hear things that everyone has been working on separately and that’s when everybody gets it.”
As we reflect back, (and even with some of the songs still running through our heads), we’re filled with gratitude for the relationships formed, the confidence that shone from within our students, and the dedication and resilience demonstrated by everyone involved in delivering a performance of this scope and quality. These experiences will long outlast the final notes of the performance and have become part of the fabric that makes MBCI such a special place to learn and grow. As one young Matilda actor wisely noted: “It’s a lot of hard work, but at the end it’s all worth it.”
You can find an image gallery below, with thanks to @austinkyliephotography for capturing these beautiful memories for us.
