Jest at the West
Holy Spirit College, Mackay (Queensland).
Jest at the West by Judith Prior is a fantastic example of the community building experience that can be achieved in rehearsing and producing a theatrical production.
Jest at the West is a theatre restaurant show about the Silver Slipper Saloon. A drought has forced the bank to move towards foreclosure, leading the characters who frequent the saloon to come up with new ideas to ‘stimulate business’. A flamboyant stranger enters town and starts to measure up the bar, only making the locals more suspicious.
Holy Spirit College chose Jest at the West because it offered a great number of interesting characters. We also used the option of a chorus to allow all interested students to participate.
The show was able to be adapted to our local area, and the punters greatly enjoyed the audience participation. The students who participated in the production became very supportive of each other, and have continued this cross-year level friendship after the show.
The cast and creative team prepared this show over a period of two terms, with costumes generously supplied by the Mackay Musical Comedy Players. The experience has built confidence in the students for presenting tasks they encounter in the school curriculum. Both the experienced and first-time performers enjoyed treading the boards and look forward to performing again in the future.
Zoe Perry
Director/Cultural Events Coordinator