Bayside and Westside Drama Group recently returned from the Duncan Rand Youth One-Act Play Festival where they won Best Play, Best Original Play, Best Ensemble and Best Actor.

A statement from Bayside & Westside Drama Group follows below:

The group’s production of All Of Us - a feminist ensemble piece written by group leader Julian Felice - won Best Play and Best Original Play, while their production of the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s The (Almost) Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) came third. The cast of All Of Us - Chloe Barea, Hannah Caward Madeira, Jasmine Jarman, Bonnie McHard, Noeli Nouar and Isabella Torres - also won Best Ensemble, while Nicholas Raggio won Best Actor for his performance in the second play. The Festival was held at Medway Little Theatre in Rochester (Kent) and saw the group perform alongside a number of other entries, as well as taking part in a joint workshop with the Theatre’s resident youth company.

This is Bayside & Westside’s ninth participation at the Duncan Rand Festival, where they have won Best Play on six occasions. The adjudicator praised the group’s ensemble work, highlighting their precision and tightness on stage. The adjudicator was also impressed with the young actors’ ability to perform comedy - particularly in the Reduced Shakespeare play - with all the actors nominated for acting awards. The group’s participation was funded by Gibraltar Cultural Services, along with some sponsorship from D&H Ceramics.