Adjudicators: Mrs A R Price and Mrs A Gonzalez
Results:
1st - Spooner
2nd - Burnaby
3rd - Oswald
4th - Donne
See the House Competition table for the latest standings.
Review: by Mrs Arabella Gonzalez:
All the plays in the house drama festival were good. A packed hall was spellbound during all four plays and the volume of laughter must have made all the school's neighbours wish they had been invited to come along. It was very hard to choose a winner and even harder to rank the other three plays.
Some of the high points of Spooner's play were Tanny Gliksman's Inspector Clouseau type interpretation of his role and Chelsea Bentley's impassive face as the rest of the cast tried deperately to get her attention. The play was well chosen and rehearsed.
Burnaby's play was also very funny with particularly convincing performances from Alun Morris as the Fawlty Towersesque waiter showing excellent comedy timing and Charles Manford as the blustering businessman impressing us all with his abilty to lie convincingly under pressure.
Oswald set the stage perfectly for their funeral parlour comedy with the grim reaper and sombre organ music. The undertaker (Tristan Hartey) remained suitably dead pan throughout, Kristina Kingolts was the perfect cynical corporate wife and Victoria Martoccia and Katy Yates appropriately (and convincingly ) hysterical.
Donne set themself a huge task with a play that was twice as long as the others with many scene changes and costume issues. We all enjoyed the detectives lurking behind a hedge to surprise the culprit and there were some great farcical moments. Lara White was a very serious police inspector (possible career choice?) and Tom Gonzalez as the superintendent never let us forget that he was in charge. It was a cosmopolitan police force that included Jeff and Eric, two of our South African exchange students!
All of the plays were impeccably supported by backstage workers and lighting and sound were used very effectively. Well done to all involved!
Programme:
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Spooner: “Streuth!” by Michael Green | |
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After months of dedicated rehearsal, the actors are looking forward to presenting this murder mystery play. Unfortunately, when the big day arrives, nerves get the better of the cast and everything starts to go horribly wrong . . . . | |
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Cast |
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The Inspector |
Tanny Gliksman |
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Mr Oliver D'Arcy |
Oliver Dowen |
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Hubert D’Arcy |
Edward Wadon |
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The Major |
Lauren Lloyd-Jones |
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The Vicar |
Brook Simons-Akwah |
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James |
Charles Pierce |
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Cook |
Chelsea Bentley |
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Prompt |
David Elwyn-Griffiths |
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Production |
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Directors |
Helen Limbrey and Lauren Lloyd-Jones |
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Lighting |
Alex Morgan and Andrew Edwards |
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Sound and Prompt |
Sophie Adams |
Two couples enter a hotel restaurant and are about to enjoy a meal, when their secrets start to be revealed. Cast Waiter Alun Morris Pearce Charles Manford Mrs Pearce Emily Middleton Martin Archie Hicklin Polly Laura Production Directors Victoria Booth and Alun Morris Lighting Dani Jones and Anna James Backstage Freddi Aust, Charlotte Stonehill, Katherine Leung, JJ Crawford, Charlotte Dingwall-Fordyce and Alice Parker
Oswald: “Last Respects” by Colin Calvert The action takes place in a funeral parlour where the deceased, Mr Throgmorton, is mourned by his wife, PA and secretary. Confusion ensues as they slowly realise that they have all had ‘intimate relationships’ with him. Cast Mr Reginald Deadlock (Undertaker) Tristan Hartey Valerie Pym (PA) Victoria Martoccia Brenda Thomson (Secretary) Katy Yates Mrs Ethel Throgmorton (Wife) Kristina Kingolts Production Directors Charlotte Eve and Elliot Dyke Lighting Norrie Brown and Oliver Szikszay Sound Polly Morgan and Shiguma Nakasone Backstage and Props Alex Mowbray, Kinzi Welsby and Lucy Williams Prompt Charlotte Eve
Donne: “The Case of the Five Pound Notes” by Donn Byrne £12,000 has been stolen but there is only confusion as the police try to establish who is spending the missing money. Cast Superintendant Keyes Tom Gonzalez Inspector Bright Lara White Inspector Price Biba Gonzalez Sergeant Driver Jeff Koopman Felstead James Wilcox-Jones Mrs Cross Emma Chapman Woods Tristan Chidlow Thomas Lamb Katherine Stockdale Waitress George Read Village Policeman Eric Bester Production Directors James Wilcox-Jones, Emma Chapman and Tristan Chidlow Lighting Jamie Graham Backstage Vincent Chu, Will Hung, Ivan Mok and Kendrick Leung