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Wow! What A Year!

By Andrew Oxspring & Nick Haworth
Ages: 7-11yrs

Running Time

60 Mins Approx

Speaking Parts

50

Cast Size
(Including Non-Speaking)

70

Cast Size
Easily Reduced To

20

Suggestions for how to easily reduce and increase the cast size to suit your numbers are included in the "content samples" for this musical.

No. Of Songs

9

Where to start? Home-schooling, empty supermarket shelves, social-distancing, bubbles, tiers, facemasks, not being able to hug our grandparents…these have been extraordinary and challenging times! But through it all, heroes have emerged and with a strength of spirit, hope in our hearts and a sense of humour, we are coming out the other side. So, what better way to commemorate our place in history than with a bloomin’ good sing-song!

*FREE Word doc. of the script to edit yourself*

 

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Overview

Plot Summary

A teacher and her/his class reflect on the monumental events that have shaped our lives in recent times. They discuss the pandemic and how various aspects of lockdown have put us all in some quite challenging situations. As we look at snapshots of these situations, we see that amongst the sadness and frustration there have been moments of hope, heroism and even humour.
Song – Wow! What A Year!

Firstly, home-schooling! As two siblings squabble about whose turn it is on the laptop, Mum and Dad try to juggle the demands of working and housekeeping, whilst making sure their children are breakfasted and educated! As things get comically fraught, they find ingenious and slightly unorthodox solutions to making sure all bases are covered!
Song – Round The Twist

Next, we celebrate those frontline workers whose amazing efforts provided a lifeline during lockdown. In a cinematic scene, we imagine them as a team of Marvel superheroes, assembled to battle an evil foe! With KERPOWS aplenty, they emerge triumphant, but acknowledge the sacrifices and efforts made by all of us in this epic struggle!
Song – H.E.R.O.

Heroes come in different shapes and sizes…and ages. We take a moment to focus on one in particular, as we mark the fabulous achievements of Captain Sir Tom Moore and commemorate his remarkable life.
Song – Captain Tom

Remember when certain items were in short supply on the supermarket shelves? As a family hungrily awaits the return of Dad from the shops, they worry why he’s taking so long. When he finally staggers into the kitchen, battered and bruised by the panic-buying hordes, he enthusiastically tries to convince the family that tonight’s dinner will still be delicious, even though he had to make a few ‘substitutions’ to things that were on the shopping list!
Song – None Left

We then consider all the rules and restrictions we were subject to during lockdown, how confusing they could be and how they seemed to change from one announcement to the next! We join three ‘experts’ as they prepare to give another Covid briefing to the nation, in which they will outline their latest ideas to flatten the curve. Realising that perhaps previous instructions had been less than straightforward, they decide to inject some pizzazz into today’s briefing, hoping the message will really hit home!
Song – Put That Mask On

Of course, the pandemic and lockdown have had serious consequences for many people. Livelihoods have been destroyed, loneliness and isolation have affected the vulnerable, and lives have tragically been lost. We take a moment to recognise the sacrifices that have been made by so many and, where fitting and appropriate, to pay our respects on a more personal level.
Song – A Place In My Heart

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, with the development and roll-out of a vaccine. This has been a cause for celebration and we take a fly-on-the-wall look at how such celebrations may have taken place amongst the scientists responsible!
Song – A Shot In The Arm

So, here we are! Having lived through our very own piece of history, we can now look to the future with hope. Things may take a while to get back to normal, but there will soon be possibilities and opportunities to make the most of and enjoy – a chance, at last, to live our lives and be anything and everything we want to be.
Song – Running Free

Listen below to the songs from ‘Wow! What A Year!’
"Wow What A Year"
"Round The Twist"
"H.E.R.O."
"Captain Tom"
"Put That Mask On"
"A Place In My Heart"
"A Shot In The Arm"
"Running Free"

Characters

50 Speaking parts in order of appearance
*Approximate number depending on scenes 5 & 7. This number can easily be increased or reduced to suit your cast size – suggestions included.

All continuity scenes
Teacher and 6 children

Scene 1
(change the family members to represent different set-ups as you feel appropriate)
Mum
Son
Daughter
Dad

Scene 2
Iris the Virus
Nurse
Doctor
Bus Driver
Shop Worker
Construction Worker
Teacher

Scene 3
(change the family members to represent different set-ups as you feel appropriate)
Son
Mum
Daughter #1
Daughter #2
Dad

Scene 4
3 Experts
Rock Singer
Rock Guitarist

Scene 5
Approx. 5 of your children sharing their personal thoughts

Scene 6
Professor Hans Facenspace
Professor Pam Demic
2 Scientists

Scene 7
As many children as possible sharing their personal thoughts

Non-speaking characters (if numbers allow) for featured songs
Home-schooling children & parents
Costumed heroes
Shoppers
Rock band
Scientists

What do you get?

This musical production is available to buy in 2 different formats.

Option 1 – Physical Product – Posted

This option can be paid for online, or schools* can request to have goods sent with an invoice to be paid within 30 days.
* Non-UK schools and private individuals (not ordering on behalf of a UK school) must pay online.

A wire-bound book with:
Full script
Detailed stage directions
Character information
Tips for costumes, props and scenery
Piano score for all songs
Licensing information

An Audio CD with:
Vocal demo tracks to all songs
Backing tracks to all songs
Continuity/incidental music
Sound effects

Option 2 – Digital Download

Any order containing a digital download option must be paid for online at the point of ordering. Any order containing a digital download which is not accompanied by payment will not be processed.

Both PDF and editable MS Word documents of:
Full script
Detailed stage directions
Character information
Tips for costumes, props and scenery
Piano score for all songs
Licensing information

MP3 files of:
Vocal demo tracks to all songs
Backing tracks to all songs
Continuity/incidental music
Sound effects

Extras included:
JPEG files of cover artwork for making posters or other promo material.

Upon completion of your order, a link will be automatically sent to the email address you provided, from which all the files can be downloaded.

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