DRAMA
The second half opened with Gabriel Rahman’s production of Refugee Boy , and Louis Rudnicki’s production of Ink . These are pieces with more dialogue and so they really relied on a strong dynamic between the actors. They both achieved this with key central performances, particularly from Abyselom Beniyam as the eponymous Refugee Boy and Jamie Kennedy as Larry Lamb in Ink. This was followed by another screen adaptation in Joe Atkinson’s House of Cards, very neatly condensing a whole episode into 10 minutes. This worked remarkably well, both in terms of being a whole story and also in giving us an emotional arc for the characters. Leo Milne was powerful in the central role as Claire Underwood in strong scenes with Josh McConnell. The evening concluded with an impressive company piece directed by Aiken Furlong: Black Watch , characterised by
great ensemble acting. All the characters were on stage for the whole piece and the dynamic between the boys really brought to life the camaraderie and close relationships of this group of soldiers in Iraq. The piece also told the story with some very effective physical staging and was a powerful way to end the evening. For these reasons Black Watch won the overall prize for Best Production. Other prizes went to Abyselom Beniyam, who won the Adjudicator’s Special Award for the journey he took us on with Refugee Boy , and to Jamie Kennedy, who won Best Actor for a performance of great presence and maturity in Ink. Best Director went to Henry Wallder for the confidence and sophistication with which he presented The Kite Runner . This was a rich and diverse evening, and an impressive showcase for the students. Well done to all involved!
The piece also told the story with some very effective physical staging and was a powerful way to end the evening
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