Bayside & Westside Drama Group will be taking part in the Duncan Rand Youth One-Act Play Festival at Medway Little Theatre in Rochester (Kent), their first participation since 2018.

A statement follows below:

The group will be performing “The Blue Whale” – an original play by group leader Julian Felice – on Friday 8th July and will be hoping to add to their success in previous editions, having come second on three occasions before winning the event in three consecutive years. The last two editions of the Duncan Rand Festival were cancelled due to the pandemic, with the group also deciding not to take part in 2019 due to the Island Games being held in Gibraltar at the time.

“The Blue Whale” is a dark comedy about a young man who meets a woman online. She starts giving him a series of challenges which slowly start to escalate, placing him in conflict with those closest to him. The idea is based on the recent online phenomenon of the same name which would see vulnerable individuals take on challenges set by strangers online. The play won Best Original Play at the 2022 Gibraltar Drama Festival.

An open dress rehearsal of the play will be held at Bayside Drama Studio on Tuesday 5th July at 20:00. Entrance is free but spaces are limited and can be reserved by emailing [email protected].