Shannon Roy 摄影

纳尔逊·曼德拉高中剧院学生开始了一段充满挑战和难忘的旅程，将《少年派的奇幻漂流》的故事搬上舞台。由Yann Martel创作并后来改编成一部重要的电影的获奖小说，讲述了派在海上与一只老虎等一些大动物一起度过了227天的故事。本故事探索了生活、关系、人类存在和精神的理解。

学校的戏剧导演Laurel Lepine在一年前向学生提出了将这个故事改编成一部戏剧的想法。

“我提出了改编和表演《少年派的奇幻漂流》小说的想法，学生们热情地接受了这个想法。”Lepine说。

Lepine知道，在一个小舞台上讲述这样一个深刻而富有体验的故事将是一个挑战，但一旦克服了第一个障碍，即获得作者的许可，一切都是可能的。Lepine在夏天将小说改编为剧本。在确定了演员后，学生们对剧本进行了精炼，以体现印度家庭的细微差别和习俗。

该剧以一艘由已退休的舞台设计师Brad Leavitt和12年级的导演兼演员Omer Badri设计的救生艇为舞台。

“救生艇第一天到达时，演员们兴高采烈，像收到了一份礼物般跳进跳出，”Lepine说。

在过去的四个月中，有16名演员和20名制作团队成员在这个艺术项目上不辞辛劳地工作。纳尔逊·曼德拉高中可以为他们的《少年派的奇幻漂流》原创戏剧制作感到非常自豪，这需要学生、教师和与专业艺术家合作的伙伴付出难以置信的努力。

“当我看到这些学生对戏剧的执着和热爱时，我感到鼓舞，相信未来在加拿大舞台上讲述的故事将更加多样化和复杂化，”Lepine说。

演出时间为2019年3月12日至16日晚上7点。门票价格为10加元，可在纳尔逊·曼德拉高中主办公室购买。

Photos by Shannon Roy

​Nelson Mandela High School’s drama students embarked on a challenging and memorable journey to tell the Life of Pi story on their stage. The award-winning novel, Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel and subsequently made into a major motion picture, tells the story of Pi who is lost at sea for 227 days with a selection of large animals including a tiger. The story explores life, relationships, our human existence and spiritual understanding.

The school’s drama director, Laurel Lepine, took the idea of transforming this story into a play to students almost a year ago.

“I threw out the idea of adapting and performing the Life of Pi novel and the students eagerly took to the idea,” says Lepine.

Lepine knew the challenge would be telling such a deep and experiential story on a small stage, but that anything was possible once the first hurdle, getting the author’s permission, had been overcome. Lepine adapted the novel to a script in the summer. Following casting, the students offered their input on refining the script to reflect the nuances and customs of an Indian home.

The play takes place in a lifeboat that was designed by retired Set Designer Brad Leavitt and Grade 12 student director and actor Omer Badri.

“The first day the boat arrived, the actors giddy with happiness, kept jumping in and out of the boat like it was a present,” says Lepine.

Sixteen cast members and 20 production team members have worked tirelessly over the last four months on this artistic project. Nelson Mandela High School can be very proud of their Life of Pi original drama production that took the incredible efforts of students, teachers and partnerships with professional artists.

“When I witness the commitment and love of theatre by these students, I feel inspired that future stories told on Canadian stages will be more diverse and more complex,” says Lepine.

The show runs nightly at 7 pm on March 12 – 16, 2019.  Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Nelson Mandela High School main office.