Us and Them keeps St. Joe audience spellbound

KUCHING: The St. Joseph’s Family of Schools’ (SJFS) music, dance and drama production ‘A Story of Ours: Us and Them’ captivated a full house at the Archdiocesan Curia and Cathedral Pastoral Centre here Saturday night (Sept 30).

The event served as a platform for students to showcase their artistic talents and to raise funds for the construction of a new school building.

SJFS CEO Christopher Chua in a statement emphasised the school’s commitment to nurturing critical life skills such as self-expression, confidence, collaboration, and problem-solving through a focus on performing arts.

“We are a community that values achievements and creativity. Our vision is that our students not only excel in academic achievement but also in extracurricular activities like performing arts.

“Our annual performing arts event provides an avenue for our talented students to showcase their skills on stage and in various artistic endeavours.

“This is the very reason that we view performing arts as an integral part of our school curriculum,” he said.

The first half of the production commenced on an energetic note with captivating performances from school clubs, including the Chinese Music Club, Primary School Dance group, SJFS String Ensemble, St Joseph’s International School Music and Dance group, and the acclaimed Chamber Choir.

The production also saw the world premiere of a concert band piece composed by American composer Ben Hylton, specifically for this occasion. The piece was performed by St. Joseph’s Private School Concert Band under the baton of conductor Wilson Tan.

The second half of the production unfolded with the play ‘A Story of Ours: Us and Them’, which delved into the essence of the human condition, addressing social issues like societal divides and the significance of overcoming differences to instil peace.

The play was reinterpreted and adapted from the ‘Us and Them’, originally written in 1972 by British playwright David Campton to address issues of post-pandemic society.

The drama reached its crescendo with an original song titled ‘This is Our Story,’ written by Chamber Choir’s conductor Benedict Lo and SJPSS acting principal Fr Stanley Goh with a message to strive for peace and hope in a polarised world.

In a spectacular finale, the Chamber Choir dazzled the audience with their dance moves and vocals, presenting the popular South-Korean boyband BTS’ hit, ‘Dynamite.’

All proceeds from this production will be used to fund the new building which will house a new school hall, learning facilities and rooms for the performing arts such as a dance studio and a music studio.

Among those present were St. Joseph’s Private Secondary School former principal Fr. Francis Lim, St. Joseph’s Private Primary School Headmistress Shirley Chong, and St. Joseph’s International School principal Bro. Robert Teoh.