CULTURE Speech and Drama
CULTURE TheatreFest
TRINITY COLLEGE LONDON Speech and Drama – Grade 8 Daniel Wilson (Distinction) Angus Vincent (Distinction) David Wayne (Distinction) Jonty Gray (Distinction) Alex Johnston (Distinction) Marcello Ferguson (Distinction) Charlie de Costobadie (Merit) Hugo Buchan (Merit) Speech and Drama – Grade 7 Jack James (Merit) Speech and Drama – Grade 4 Alessio Barlozzi-Knothe (Honours) SPEECH NEW ZEALAND Grade 6 Felipe Felitti-Duter (Hons +) James Melhuish (Hons +)
THEATREFEST OˉTAUTAHI – ONE ACT PLAY COMPETITION The Fall of Dracula: A New Mini-Musical Written and composed by James Burt and Robert Kidd Directed by Ellie Busfield and James Burt “In the hallowed halls of literary academia, one might hear tales of Vlad Dracula portrayed as little but a figment of my own imagination; yet this is far from true…” – Bram Stoker These ominous lines from the diary of Bram Stoker (played by Jim Dowling) set the mood for the dark mystery about to unfold – a sensational musical created by Year 13 students James Burt and Robert Kidd. Composed, written, directed, choreographed, and performed by secondary school students under the company name of My Chemical Showmance, this production, like
This year, the Speech and Drama programme at Christ’s College has reached new heights, with record numbers of students stepping up to challenge themselves through examinations – and achieving outstanding results. The growth of the programme reflects not only the increasing enthusiasm for the dramatic arts but also the guidance and support provided by talented coach Tania McVicar. Tania’s expertise has helped each student reach their potential. Her patient coaching, creative techniques, and encouragement have given students the skills and confidence needed to tackle the demanding Speech and Drama examinations. Congratulations to all the students who have embraced the challenge and worked tirelessly to prepare for these examinations. The continued success of the Speech and Drama programme highlights the importance of the performing arts in developing confidence, creativity, and communication – skills that will serve our students well beyond the stage.
Lucas Zhang (Hons) Will Crawford (Hons) Edward Pottinger (Hons) Newman Hao (Merit +) Lucas Hu (Merit +) Toby Buchan (Merit +) Harry Ensor (Merit +) Ryan Tian (Merit +) Angus Sharpe (Merit) Tommy Percasky (Merit) Leo Acland (Merit +) Grade 4 Hugo Bush (Hons +) Luca Maxwell (Hons +) Jeff Bergin (Hons +) Tom Wilson (Hons +) Kingsley Lee (Hons) Daniel Zhang (Hons)
Dracula himself, was a force to be reckoned with. Featuring seven performers and an on-stage band of three, the two- part musical The Fall of Dracula , boasting 12 original songs, was destined to wow the festival audience. The catchiest song, Ways to Kill a Witch , was written by the pair five years ago as an amusing and fast-paced introduction for the primary antagonists, the Witch Hunters (Angus Vincent, Lily- Grace Saunders, and Marlo Taylor). Dracula (James Burt), painted in this version as a kind, sensible ‘man of the people’, stops them from burning alleged witch, Carmina (Mack Croall), and the pair instantly fall for each other. Despite desperate warnings from longtime friend Nikolai (Alex Johnston), Dracula tries to talk sense into the Witch Hunters to no avail. Hear ye hear ye! We are here on behalf of the Church to teach you village idiots how to kill a witch!” – Witch Hunter
Left with only one option, he seeks out the ancient power of Nos Feratu (Marlo Taylor) and becomes a vampire. He returns to the village to find Nikolai in distress and Carmina again facing the executioner. Dracula takes down one Witch Hunter but, in a cruel twist of fate, his blade also finds Carmina and she, too, is mortally wounded. Nikolai swears vengeance while Dracula wrestles with his conscience and his grief, eventually choosing to follow his fallen friends and Step into the Sun … a powerful song that ends his haunting tale. Students sacrificed many months to bring this extraordinary piece of theatre to life. With a looming deadline and a 45-minute performance time restriction, the task seemed daunting. However, they wasted no time, pulling together a live band with the expert musical talents and enthusiasm of Seann Zhao (keys) and Cole Moffatt (drums) to support composer Robert Kidd (keys) and gathering a cast from schools across Christchurch to
Tim Zhao (Hons) Jett Barr (Hons)
William Ban (Hons) Conor Ruane (Hons) Joe Langley Shields (Hons) Guy Boissard (Hons) Zebedee Jarvis (Hons) Matthew Williams (Hons) Hugh Carran (Hons) Saxon Foggo (Hons) Gabriel Botherway (Hons) Angus Maxwell (Hons) George Thorp (Merit +) Ben Cuddihy (Merit +) Gabriel Murphy (Merit +) Harrison Neylon (Merit +)
Ollie Trollip (Hons) Charlie Wood (Hons) Justin Wang (Merit +)
Noah Kingston (Merit +) Louis Fogarty (Merit +) Marcello Ferguson (Merit +) Grade 5 Oliver Sloan (Hons +) Henry Botherway (Hons +) Will Matheson (Hons +) Hugo Miller (Hons + )
Sean Ma (Hons) Felix Liu (Hons)
Lucas Zhong (Hons) Sean Zhang (Hons) Sam Leete (Hons) Alex Johnstone (Hons) Zac Croft (Hons)
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