Sunday, January 7, 2024

All systems go for “A SINGsational Journey” musical on Jan. 13-14 at Sacred Heart School

CEBU CITY –The Sacred Heart School Hijas de Jesus in cooperation with SHS-HDJ Parent's Association brings to the stage "A SINGsational Journey" musical at the Sacred Heart School Hijas de Jesus Henry Sy, Sr. Auditorium at 3:00pm Matinee and at 7:00pm Gala performances on January 13-14, 2023.

“All systems go for the musical.  We have been in extensive preparations and rehearsals since March last year yet.  Imagine most magical fairy tales on the stage.  This is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their talents and creativity after three years that our kids sweat through hybrid online learning. This musical promotes holistic development of our students and not only focuses on academics, but also in the arts,” SHS-HDJ Parent's Association president, Cheryl Lim bared in a press conference in December 2023.

Lim bared that the project was conceptualized during one of the meetings of the Parent's Association. They noted the need for an extracurricular activity for the students especially after being locked down at home during the pandemic. With two years of online class, these students needed exposure and a distraction from the gadgets.

“A SINGsational Journey” offers students an exciting way to jump into the different aspects of theater, learning something new that most of them have never done before. Not only do these students develop musical abilities, they also receive benefits that extend to other areas such as skills in dancing, interacting and feeling of trust in one's abilities and qualities, Lim added.

Stanley Go, one of the major sponsors of the musical said that the show aims to focus the children to become creative and to showcase their talents.  “For us Cebuanos, we must promote cultural presentations and stage plays,” Go added.

According to Lim, for a student in this world today, the musical journey can provide an outlet to be creative, to break free and create a diversion from screen time, that can enhance their well-being, mental health and to entertain the people at the same time.

It also fosters camaraderie and creativity among students and beyond entertainment, “A SINGsational Journey” brings an important venue for students to express themselves, build lifelong friendships, and develop a love for the arts that can last forever, Lim said.

A Musical Travelogue/Features of the show

“A SINGsational Journey” is directed by Rudy Aviles, one of the pillars of Cebu's theater scene and a well-known local director. His team of choreographers, musical director, musical arranger, graphic designer and light designer aim to produce an exceptional musical show featuring the talented students of Sacred Heart School- Hijas de Jesus.

There are 802 students involved in the production preparations since March 2023, from as young as four years old to Grade 12 high school students and the show runs for 90 minutes.


“We are now in the last leg of the production. This week will be spent for Technical Run through. This is kind of challenging for me to handle about 800 performers for a musical production.  This musical production brings together the enchanting and timeless melodies of the songs of different musicals, captivating the journey through the heartwarming and show-stopping tunes that have graced some of the most iconic stages and animated films in entertainment history,” Aviles said.

Audiences can expect a dazzling showcase featuring a medley of show tunes and classics, expertly woven together to create a seamless, enchanting narrative. From the grandeur of Broadway's theatrical masterpieces to the magic of fairytale animated adventures, this production is a harmonious fusion of two worlds, leaving spectators spellbound and transported to the realms of imagination, Aviles added.


The show features songs from different musical productions fitting to each students' age groups; songs from famous musicals like West Side Story, Sound of Music, Annie, Oklahoma, and many more. Moreover, students sang medleys of Beatles, Beegees, and ABBA songs.

Aviles bared that the inspiration was thought of by the Parents because Hijas for a number of years have been producing musicals from Broadway and Disney. Hence, for this year, they thought of coming out with a musical production that shall showcase some old melodies from Disney and Broadway which were presented years back, and a few new musicals which are a hit to the new generations. 

One remarkable show the school had was the "Flower Drum Song" directed by the late Allan Jayme Rabaya. Casts include the students from Sacred Heart School for Girls and Sacred Heart School for Boys. Some of these are now parents of the students in Sacred Heart Hijas de Jesus.


“This January 2024, let the voices of our very own pupils of SHS-HDJ, once again transport you to a musical travelogue this January 13, 2024 and January 14, 2024 at the Henry Sy, Sr. Auditorium, Sacred Heart School- Hijas de Jesus,” Lim added.

Show time and schedules

There will be two shows on January 13, the Matinee show starts at 3:30PM and the Gala show starts at 7:00PM. There will also be two shows on January 14, the Matinee show starts at 3:30PM and the Gala show starts at 7:00PM. Ticket prices are as follows:

The Matinee Show VIP Reserved Seats is at P800, Orchestra Seats at P650 and Balcony Seats at P400.  The Gala Show VIP Reserved Seats is at P1000, Orchestra Seats at P800 and Balcony Seats at P500.  Lim bared that the Parents’ association had been pre-selling the tickets since October 2023.

The proceeds of this project will be used to improve some areas in school especially the basketball court to provide the students with a better place to enhance their skills in sports and various activities. The rest will be donated to different charitable institutions affiliated with the SHS-HDJ Parent's Association, Lim said.

“We anchored the production to a musical celebration of music endeared by, familiar to, sung in unison by the old and young-- a celebration of creative togetherness that unite one and all.  Unity of this kind is what we need now where we narrow down the generation gaps through the love of music,” Aviles concluded. (Photos: MBCNewman/FB-Rudy Aviles)

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