Bayside and Westside Drama Group will be travelling to Medway Little Theatre in Rochester, Kent next month to take part in the Duncan Rand Youth One Act Play Festival. 

A statement follows below: 

The group will be performing “Natives” by Glenn Waldron and directed by Natalie Bonavia, and “Ten  Minutes”, an original play by the group’s director Julian Felice. 

This is the eighth time that the group has participated in the Duncan Rand Festival, winning their  last four appearances in the event, most recently last year with their production of The Blue Whale.  Their participation reflects the group’s close relationship with Medway Little Theatre’s Youth  Company, who in turn take part in the Gibraltar Drama Festival every year. The group’s  participation has been made possible thanks to funding from Gibraltar Cultural Services and  sponsorship from D&H Ceramics. 

A story about three young people trying to figure out their place in the modern world, Natives received an excellent adjudication at this year’s Drama Festival, with Nicholas Raggio winning Best  Youth Actor and Esther Tricker and Matthew Navas receiving nominations in their respective  categories. For its part, Ten Minutes came second in the 2021 Drama Festival and won Best Original  Play. The absurdist tragicomedy is one of Julian’s most successful plays, having been performed  twice in London and once in New Jersey, but this will be the first ever all-female production of the  play, with Molly Sawyer joining Esther on stage. Rhiannon Hodgson completes the group,  providing technical support under the supervision of adult leader Emma Cruz. 

Ahead of their departure, the group will be holding a free open dress rehearsal performance on  Tuesday 4th July at the Magazine Studio Theatre. They will be leaving Gibraltar on the 6th July and  performing on the 7th before returning two days later.