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DRAMA & DANCE
I chose Private Peaceful as the best production, rewarding it for its superb ensemble work, slick movement and scene changes
portrayal of Peter, in the short scene from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , was sensitive and extremely engaging. I awarded the Adjudicator’s Prize to Calvin Chen, whose performance as the Clerk in Toad of Toad Hall was excellent. Despite only having one line (I think) in the entire scene, as well as being positioned on the edge of the main action, Calvin was completely involved in what was going on, responding to the other actors on stage, never sitting back on his laurels, but reacting in his body language, gestures and facial expressions. Finally, in what was a very tough decision, I chose Private Peaceful as the best production, rewarding it for its superb ensemble work, slick movement and scene changes, as well as the strong acting throughout.
Plundering the Roald Dahl canon, and throwing in some CS Lewis, AA Milne and Michael Morpurgo for good measure, the Lower School performers conjured worlds both fantastical and heartbreakingly real, to delight and move us. It was great to see so many skills learned in their drama and dance lessons and workshops helping to shape their own original inventive take on these classics, and it was an absolute pleasure to be asked to adjudicate. Given that up until half-term Covid was causing logistical problems for rehearsals, I was very impressed; all the productions were of a high standard, with each and every actor holding their own on stage. The tight directing from Ivan Ovchinnikov and Gus Walmsley of their chosen scene from The Witches was very well thought through, and extremely effective in its delivery. Henry Findlay’s
Many congratulations to everyone who took part, and thank you all for a lovely evening’s entertainment!
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