Four Production Arts and Design students brought the creative magic to a North Lanarkshire school’s production of The Lion King.

Emma Moran, Karina Aitken, Iona Allan and Eilidh McGroarty partnered with St Kevin’s Primary School in Bargeddie as part of Scottish Opera’s schools outreach programme.

The students designed and handcrafted more than 60 bespoke animal masks, costumes and vibrant props and set pieces, using recycled materials and sustainable practices.

They also held workshops for the pupils, empowering them to co-create costumes and sharing the diverse pathways into careers in theatre production.

Robin Peoples, Lecturer in Design at RCS, said: “The input from Emma, Karina, Iona and Eilidh was nothing short of heroic. They designed and made all the masks for the entire cast of over sixty performers, as well as creating props and scenery. They also took on the set dressing for the school hall venue.

“They committed an utterly phenomenal amount of time and dedication to the mammoth endeavour, working many evenings, lunchtimes and weekends.

“They created all the production artefacts, employing a robust ecological methodology, using scrap and upcycled materials, with impressive aesthetic results.

“In addition to making the masks, props and scenery elements at Wallace Studios, they also conducted workshops with the pupils on the making and decoration of collar pieces and the colouring of t-shirt costumes.

“Not only is the quality of their work outstanding, but the sheer quantity alone is impressive.”

Pauline Doran, Principal Teacher at St Kevin’s Primary School, said: “We enjoyed taking part in a fantastic collaboration with Scottish Opera with Disney Musicals in schools. The year-long project allowed staff and pupils the opportunity to produce their own performance of The Lion King KIDS.

“Scottish Opera staff supported us weekly through rehearsals on every aspect from casting, rehearsing, staging and performing the Lion King.

“The school was also supported by four very talented students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Emma, Karina, Iona and Eilidh gave up their own time to share their skills and expertise to support pupils to create masks, costumes and sets.

“The whole experience, collaborating with Scottish Opera and the students from RCS, has played a vital role in igniting the spark of creativity in our young learners here in St Kevin’s Primary. It has been a wonderful and very memorable journey for all involved.”

Alan McKenzie of Scottish Opera, who worked on The Lion King, said: “The students did a tremendous job.

“Their masks were artistic and robust. They took the time to fit and adjust every single one for the 60-plus children, and made the kids feel very special. They had a lovely way with them.

“Pride Rock was decorated in an abstract yet similar style to the masks, tying it all together. “They also dressed the stage very effectively.

“It was honestly like having professionals who had been in the business for a long time, and they were such an asset to the team.”

On behalf of the group, Emma offers a behind-the-scenes insight into how the project brought together collaboration, creativity and community.

Tell us how you became involved with the production

The project was offered to us earlier this year by one of the teachers who was familiar with our work at RCS.

Eilidh took on the project as she knew the teacher personally and asked if others would be interested in joining. The team consisted of Eilidh and Iona focusing on costume, Karina as prop maker, and me as the designer.

We visited the school and met the pupils, teachers, and Alan and Martine McMenemy from Scottish Opera to learn about the aims of the production and how we could contribute our expertise.

What did you create for the show?

We began the project in January and had eight weeks to complete it. There was set and costume work to do, plus animal masks for all the pupils, among other props.

With our full-time schedule at RCS, it was definitely a challenge to balance this production alongside our live RCS work.

We organised a schedule and used our evenings and weekends to work together and get the project underway. A few visits to the school for catch-ups, fittings, and art classes helped us stay on track, and we managed to complete everything within the time frame.

What did you enjoy most about the project?

The loveliest part was seeing the pupils’ reactions when they received their completed masks.

At each rehearsal we attended, we were so impressed by their enthusiasm—and that excitement only grew when they performed with the full costumes, masks, and props. It was a joy to witness their appreciation.

You also held workshops with pupils – what did they learn?

We held art workshops with the P5, P6, and P7 classes to ensure the pupils felt involved in their production and part of the creative team.

It was also important to us to share what we do at RCS and to show that creative jobs like ours are something they could pursue in the future.

We made worksheets for the children to follow and set up the classroom with examples and inspiration. We prepared stamps and stencils for printing on the collars we had made, as well as on the animal-themed t-shirts they designed.

This was very well received—they loved being part of the creative process and making their costume personal to them.

You took a sustainable approach to materials – can you share your process and why being ecological was important?

We wanted to take a sustainable approach to the project. With over 60 masks to make, we also needed to be efficient.

We used recycled cardboard for all the masks and recycled fabrics for the set and props. The overall look of the masks was very effective—it was great to see how reused materials could still achieve a high-quality result.

The masks were unpainted to create a wooden-style effect inspired by the original Broadway designs. We strengthened them with gum tape, which was both effective and added a pleasing texture.

What did you all get out of it personally and professionally?

Despite the time constraints and scale of the project, all four of us really enjoyed the experience.

We loved working together and came away with the same positive reflections. We got to collaborate with professionals at Scottish Opera and work with a young age group—something none of us had done before.

We had to manage our time outside university hours, create schedules, and issue invoices—all valuable real-world experience. The most rewarding part was seeing the pupils perform and how much they appreciated our work.

What’s coming up next?

All four of us are heading into our final year at RCS, where we’ll undertake management projects. Emma is starting the design phase of her first full-scale show, for which she’ll design the set and costumes, to be staged in November.

Iona and Eilidh are focusing on final costume construction for next term’s shows, alongside management and budgeting projects.

Karina will be working on final-year props while continuing to develop personal projects and her management portfolio.

Interested in studying on the BA Production Arts and Design programme at RCS?

Visit its webpage for all the info, from course structure and how to apply to graduate destinations.