This year marks the 35th anniversary of French immersion programs in the Yukon and the École Whitehorse Elementary School decided to do something big to celebrate.
That big project turned into a musical production of The Little Prince, with 450 students in all of the grades involved.
The school started having auditions in October and more than 60 students wanted to play a main character.
“So we thought, okay if we want to give them all a chance we have to have a few presentations and because we have 450 students, we have quite a few parents. So we are going to be offering three performances at the Yukon Arts Centre in mid-May,” says Hélène Saint Onge, principal of the school.
Kindergarten to Grade 4 will be performing dances and Grades 5, 6 and 7 are each going to present a song.
The parents have also been a big part of the musical, helping with production of the costumes and the set. There are also parents who are helping out with makeup, taking photos and everything else involved with a big show.
The story The Little Prince was written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in French. The musical will be performed in French, with English subtitles.
The school is also doing a The Little Prince art exhibit that will be at the Yukon Arts Centre through the month of May. Art pieces will be for view from all grades.
The École Whitehorse Elementary School presents The Little Prince at the Yukon Arts Centre on Tuesday, May 17 at 10 p.m. and on Wednesday, May 18 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at YukonTickets.com
