Drama success for students

7:41am Monday 12th May 2008

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Improvisations, mimes and absurd theatre helped students at Bushey Hall School scoop a stack of awards at an annual drama competition.

A-level, Year 10 and Year 7 groups competed in the 64th Bushey and South West Hertfordshire Youth Drama Festival and picked up seven awards for their performances, costumes and sound.

The A-Level piece, named ID and influenced by Samuel Beckett, was performed by Tom Broughton, Daniel Evans, Shannon Fitzwalter, Grace Brackley, Lauren Toms, Megan Kimpton and Matthew Mckay and focused on the power struggles between men and women.

Year 7 pupils silently battled it out against their own school's Year 10 pupils, winning the Best Mime award for a comic piece simulating a boxing match.

Titled The Big Fight Live and performed by Finlay Ansell, Jimmy Balding, Cole Runnalls and Dean Dunnderdale to a soundtrack of Chariots of Fire, the show concluded with boxers shambolically falling over and accidentally punching the referee.

The Year 10 mime piece, titled The Daily Grind, saw a shower become a bath before turning into a car, all performed to a soundtrack by Madness.

It won the runner-up prize in the category for Josh Wilson, Jazmin Webster, Craig Barker, Sam Tickner, Taranjit Lotay, Michael Major, Paige Cutting, Paige Bennett, Shannon Williamson, Joe Young, Bekki Jones and Leaa Holliman.

James Wride, the school's head of drama, said: "The pupils at Bushey Hall have worked very hard to produce some excellent work.

"For the second year in a row we have won some excellent awards that simply pay tribute to the hard work and talent of our pupils."

Dean Dunnderdale, who performed in the Big Fight Live, said: "It was quite exciting because there were a lot of schools there."

He added that the awards ceremony felt like the Oscars.

The competition, held last month at Queens' School, saw Bushey Hall School compete against other local schools and youth groups, including Parmiter's School, The Pump House Theatre and St James Music and Drama Society.

Along with the awards for planned performances, three students won for an improvisation titled Does my bum look big in this?. They were told the title of the piece shortly before they got on the stage but successfully worked off each other to win the prize.