Students stage Matilda — a tale of resilience

Young performers of Strawberry Fields High School showcased their talent and passion for arts by performing the play, Matilda A Musical, under the aegis of Durga Das Foundation. The play, based on Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel Matilda, was directed by KidsWorld, a theatre company run by Lushin Dubey and Bubbles Sabharwal. The Tribune was the media partner of the event.

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The story follows a young, extraordinarily gifted girl named Matilda, beautifully enacted by Shanaya Grewal of Class 4. Matilda is often mistreated by her neglectful parents and oppressive school headmistress Miss Trunchbull enacted by Manreet Dhillon of class 7.

Hitarth Raja of Class 6 and Mehhar Nagpal of Class 5 played the role of Matilda’s father and mother, respectively.

Despite her challenging life at home, Matilda’s intelligence, imagination and love for reading sets her apart from those around her.

At school, Matilda befriends her kind and caring teacher Miss Honey — played by Aradhya Chaudhary of Class 5 — who recognises her exceptional abilities.

As Matilda’s powers, such as telekinesis, begin to manifest, she uses these to stand up to the tyrannical Miss Trunchbull, and ultimately helps Miss Honey reclaim her inheritance and freedom.

Throughout the musical, Matilda learns to embrace her uniqueness, standing up for herself and discovering the importance of family and friendship. Themes of empowerment, resilience and justice were central, as Matilda learns to overcome adversity and takes control of her own destiny.

The whimsical music — reflecting the fun, darker and magical elements of Dahl’s story — was given by Praneet David Lal, Pratiek David Lal and Vardhan Bhola, while the sound and lights were managed by Jagjit Bhardwaj and Jaspreet Singh Uppal, respectively.

The play was choreographed by Ryan Kwan.