Bayside & Westside Drama Group have returned to Gibraltar after taking part in the Duncan Rand Youth One-Act Play Festival held last week at Medway Little Theatre in Rochester (Kent). 

A statement follows below:

The  group picked up six awards, including Best Play, the fifth time they have won the Festival in five  consecutive appearance. Natives - a challenging play by Glenn Waldron and directed by Natalie  Bonavia - came first, with Ten Minutes - an original play by Julian Felice - coming third. The latter  also won the award for Best Original Play. The full cast from Natives also won acting awards, with  Nicholas Raggio named Best Actor, Esther Tricker named Best Actress, and Matthew Navas  winning Best Supporting Actor. Technical support was provided by Molly Sawyer and Rhiannon  Hodgson, with Emma Cruz supervising. 

This is the eighth time that Bayside & Westside take part in the Duncan Rand Festival, reflecting  the strong connections between the group and Medway Little Theatre Youth Company, who, in turn,  take part in the Gibraltar Drama Festival every year. The students also took part in a joint workshop  with the company, finished with a celebratory party. 

Bayside & Westside also received local support at the theatre with Minister for Culture John Cortes  attending the performance with Edd Dove, representing Gibraltar Cultural Services. Minister Cortes  was given a tour of the theatre and was asked to present the award for Best Original Play. 

This completes the drama group’s fifteenth season, during which time they have won 77 awards.  Their attention will now turn to plans for the year ahead.