St Ita’s students set for magical Toy Show debut
St Ita’s students at the RTE studios in Donnybrook.
St Ita’s students set for magical Toy Show debut
Nine students from St Ita’s Special School are preparing for the Christmas experience of a lifetime after being selected to perform on this year’s Late Late Toy Show.
The group, who come from across north County Dublin and the Drogheda area, were chosen from more than 4,000 applicants nationwide. It’s the first time St Ita’s students have made it onto the iconic Christmas broadcast.
Teacher Emer Fitzsimons said the excitement has been building since the school received the first phone call back in October.
“We went to the auditions and the experience alone was just amazing,” she said. “The children loved seeing RTÉ and meeting the team working on the Toy Show. That experience was a dream come true, so getting the phone call to say we were actually chosen was truly unbelievable.”
St Ita’s students at the RTE studios in Donnybrook.
The group has been travelling to rehearsals every week and the students are “so excited about being on live TV,” she added. St Ita’s says the achievement means a huge amount to the whole school community, especially given the level of competition.
The St Ita’s dancers will join children from all over Ireland for a large group performance on the night — one of the most-watched annual moments on Irish television.
This year’s Toy Show will also be the most accessible in its history. For the first time, RTÉ will provide live Audio Description during the broadcast, allowing visually-impaired audiences to follow the action in real time. Irish Sign Language interpretation will also be available live on the RTÉ News Channel and RTÉ Player.
The Late Late Toy Show airs on Friday, 5 December at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
