Jul 16 - Bayside And Westside Drama Group Wins UK Festival For Third Time
Bayside and Westside Drama Group has returned to Gibraltar after having won the Duncan Rand Youth One-Act Play Festival for the third year running with their production of Layla.
The group travelled to Medway Little Theatre in Rochester (Kent) to participate in the Festival for the sixth time and performed the hard-hitting drama alongside their light-hearted comedy La Calle Commedia, which also came third.
Carmen Anderson, who played the title role in Layla, also won Best Actress, with Kai Nemes – Valerio in La Calle Commedia – winning Best Supporting Actor, an award which the group has now won in their last five participations. Natasha Richardson also received a Merit Certificate for her performance as the bully Lucy in Layla.
Adjudicator Amanda Sharpe-Conroy commended the group’s acting and was very impressed with the talent and versatility displayed by the young actors, who had to perform two vastly contrasting plays in the same evening after a full day rehearsing in the space. The performances were also well received by the audience, which included relatives who had travelled to the theatre to watch.
The group’s achievements have now taken their total to 52 awards, and their impressive record at the Duncan Rand Festival continues, adding three consecutive wins to three second place results. The students – who were led by teachers Julian Felice and Dulcie Edwards – also took part in a joint workshop with Medway Little Theatre’s Youth Company, who are frequent visitors to Gibraltar’s Drama Festival and with whom the group enjoys close links.
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