“Surfin Santa” arrives at Bliss
The Christmas season is in full swing all over Belize and in addition to the traditional shopping, cooking, cleaning and partying, there is also plenty of Christmas entertainment. Earlier in the week I stopped by rehearsals for one upcoming show at the Bliss.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Last Christmas, when the National Youth Choir presented its first big production, Surfin Santa, an adaptation from a book written by Emily Crocker and John Higgins, little did the group know that the play would meet with such success. The choir received a number of requests for a repeat performance. So for the past three months the children have been singing, dancing and going over their lines at the Bliss Institute.
Claudette Santos, Director, National Youth Choir
“Well the people, the audience, last year they loved it and they asked for another show.”
Jacqueline Woods
“The children say they have been rehearsing for the past three months, how have they been doing?”
Claudette Santos
“Well they are really great, their performance is really great but they have a lot of work in studying their words and doing the acting part. The new ones, it is kind of hard for them you know they are stage fright and stuff, they are all excited in doing that.”
Choir singing “Got to get away”
?Got to get away to a place in the sun, got to get away, got to have some fun. Got to get away, get out of the race. Got to get away, I need a change of pace; just a simple vacation to a far destination. I got to get away, get away today.?
The play should be a treat for all children. The show takes you into Santa’s workshop where you get to see the elves, Santa’s little helpers, busy making toys. But all is not well in Santa’s toyland. The play gets dramatic when some bad characters try to put Santa out of business.
Alonzo Pineda
“The character that I am portraying, he’s the bad guy that he is trying to take over Santa’s workshop, so his business can grow better and he makes more money than Santa does.”
Will Santa’s business be closed for this season? Well you just have to go to the show to see what happens. But for right now, the children have been working hard to put off yet another popular performance.
Shanice Lovell
“I think that children should attend this play because it will be a lot of fun. Last year when we had the same play, the children really enjoyed it and it is really for the children we want to have the play. The adults, no problem with them being here, but it is mostly for the children.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What do you personally like about this play?”
Austin Jones
“The singing, the acting, the showing off.”
Jacqueline Woods
?So this is your first time?”
Jeannine Sutherland
“Yes.”
Jacqueline Woods
“So how are you feeling?”
Jeannine Sutherland
“Well I am very excited.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Not feeling nervous right now?”
Jeannine Sutherland
No, no.”
Dvanni Middleton
“It’s fun because you are like trying to be this elf that has the responsibilities of doing all sorts of things and you are in charge of making the elves do what they are suppose to do.”
Surfin Santa shows this Saturday night at the Bliss Institute. The play starts at seven. Tickets can be bought for only five dollars at the National Arts Council, from members of the National Youth Choir or at the door on the night of the show.
