71st One Act Play Festival
For the first year we took part in the All England One Act Play Festival Stoke Round. We decided to enter three plays which were all written within the group. The group performed the plays at the Mitchell Arts Centre in Stoke during March 2015.
The first play was performed by the older teenagers in the group and was entered into the Youth section. It was entitled 'Detention Room' and was written by Mark Rhead. The play was about pupils at a school who were all in the detention room with various reasons for being there, e.g. fighting, smoking, homework, etc. The play had a tragic ending which resulted in a member of the detention room dying in a fire. It also covered issues such as cyber bullying, conflict between child and parent, and teenage pregnancy. The group handled it with sensitivity and brought out the drama, particularly at the end.
The second play was performed by the younger members of the group and was entered into the Junior section. It was entitled 'Pauline?' and was written by the older teenagers and two adults. It was all about the trial of Oliver who was accused of kidnapping Pauline. The play flitted between the courtroom itself and the newsroom. The trial had a range of witnesses, some helpful to the trial and others not so helpful. The newsroom commented on the trial but we also saw them 'off air' and the trial and tribulations between these three news presenters. The play culminated in the trial being dismissed due to Pauline the hamster being found in her cage.
The final play was performed by the adults and was entered into the adult section. It was written by Mark Rhead and entitled 'The Waiting Room'. The play centred around Jude who is very opinionated and tries to moan about everything in life, with no sympathy for anyone else. The other characters all have their own stories but mostly it centres around Jude and Paula who doesn't agree with what he is saying. She keeps her opinions to herself until she loses it when he makes someone run off crying. However it turns ugly for Paula as Jude's angry side emerges and she is put in her place. The play ends with Jude being accepted into heaven.
The group did extremely well with lots of nominations and five trophies presented to us on awards night. this was the second most amount of trophies received by any one group in this particular round. We were very proud of everyone who took part.
The first play was performed by the older teenagers in the group and was entered into the Youth section. It was entitled 'Detention Room' and was written by Mark Rhead. The play was about pupils at a school who were all in the detention room with various reasons for being there, e.g. fighting, smoking, homework, etc. The play had a tragic ending which resulted in a member of the detention room dying in a fire. It also covered issues such as cyber bullying, conflict between child and parent, and teenage pregnancy. The group handled it with sensitivity and brought out the drama, particularly at the end.
The second play was performed by the younger members of the group and was entered into the Junior section. It was entitled 'Pauline?' and was written by the older teenagers and two adults. It was all about the trial of Oliver who was accused of kidnapping Pauline. The play flitted between the courtroom itself and the newsroom. The trial had a range of witnesses, some helpful to the trial and others not so helpful. The newsroom commented on the trial but we also saw them 'off air' and the trial and tribulations between these three news presenters. The play culminated in the trial being dismissed due to Pauline the hamster being found in her cage.
The final play was performed by the adults and was entered into the adult section. It was written by Mark Rhead and entitled 'The Waiting Room'. The play centred around Jude who is very opinionated and tries to moan about everything in life, with no sympathy for anyone else. The other characters all have their own stories but mostly it centres around Jude and Paula who doesn't agree with what he is saying. She keeps her opinions to herself until she loses it when he makes someone run off crying. However it turns ugly for Paula as Jude's angry side emerges and she is put in her place. The play ends with Jude being accepted into heaven.
The group did extremely well with lots of nominations and five trophies presented to us on awards night. this was the second most amount of trophies received by any one group in this particular round. We were very proud of everyone who took part.
Winners
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Best Actor Under 16:
Rowan Blanchard for his amazing performance as Richard in 'Pauline?' He had to show comedy and angst in his part as he battled between women in his role as a news reader. Well done Rowan!! |
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Best Actor Under 21:
Sam Belfield for his great role in 'Detention Room'. In this he played a boy who was put in detention for standing up against a teacher when their opinions differed. He also tried to be the negotiator for more volatile characters. Well done Sam! |
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Best Actress Over 21:
Melanie James for her excellent performance in 'The Waiting Room'. Her character set out as a quiet member of the waiting room until she stood up to an outspoken person waiting in the room. However she then had to act against a violent character and receive the raw end of his anger. |
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Best Original Play:
Mark Rhead, Melanie James, Natasha Houlihan, Morgan Johnson, Jonathan Parry, Sam Belfield, Keely Blanchard, and Niamh Hine for their creative script 'Pauline'. This play centred around a trial of a boy for the kidnapping of Pauline. It switched between the trial itself and the newsroom which had dramas of its own. The outcome was that the trial was dismissed due to the hamster (Pauline) being found in her cage and was therefore no longer missing. |
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Adjudicators Youth Trophy:
Natasha Houlihan, Sam Belfield, Keely Blanchard, Morgan Johnson, Jonathan Parry and Charlotte Parry for 'Detention Room'. The adjudicator liked the way the group had obviously worked well together on it. He felt that the connection on stage helped to show the drama and emotions of the play. |
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Certificate of Merit
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Awarded to the Junior Play for the overall score they received. This means that they scored high across the board for acting, presentation and technical to receive such a high mark overall. Well done to all our junior section.
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Nominations
Best Actor Under 16 - Jonathan Parry
Best Actress Under 16 - Keely Blanchard
Best Actress Under 16 - Eleanor Emberson
Best Actress Under 21 - Natasha Houlihan
Best Actor Over 21 - Mark Rhead
Best Original Play - Detention Room written by Mark Rhead
Originality and Imagination - Pauline?
Best Actress Under 16 - Keely Blanchard
Best Actress Under 16 - Eleanor Emberson
Best Actress Under 21 - Natasha Houlihan
Best Actor Over 21 - Mark Rhead
Best Original Play - Detention Room written by Mark Rhead
Originality and Imagination - Pauline?
