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The Peterborough Drama Festival 2025

Click on Gallery to see photographs of the 2025 Drama Festival. 

Peterborough Drama Festival showcased great local talent

Published online by the Peterborough Telegraph in March 2025.

Last weekend, The Peterborough Drama Festival showcased an inspiring range of talent through choral speaking performances, acting, prose reading, verse speaking, duologues, storytelling and prepared speech at the annual festival.

A positive event held over two days with over 90 performers taking part in individual syllabus classes which covered a full range of dramatic arts and disciplines on Saturday; as well as 8 school groups taking part in the choral speaking showcase on Friday afternoon. 

Festival Chair, Pam Tedcastle, reported “We are delighted with this year’s festival.  The number of entries has grown steadily over the past 3 years and we are very optimistic about the future of the festival, which we know benefits the development of all young people giving them such confidence in both vocal and performance skills.  This year our new venue at Brookside Methodist Church was also a great success and we hope to return next year.  We would like to thank all parents and teachers who have trained and supported all entrants.  We look forward to seeing all individual, school and theatre group entries in our 2026 festival.”

Two professional adjudicators, affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals, Priscilla Morris and Carol Shroder, spoke highly of the talent showcased.  They praised entrants for being imaginative, portraying great characterisation and using superb expression.  Both adjudicators were delighted to be able to return to adjudicate in Peterborough this year. 

Trophy-winners at the Choral Speaking showcase were:

The Peterborough School (Year 2) – The John & Ro Martin Trophy.

St John Henry Newman Catholic Primary School (Years 5 & 6) – The Welwyn Cup.

The Peterborough School (Year 8) – The Julie Cliffe Trophy.

Trophy-winners at the Drama Festival syllabus classes were:

Betty Brown – The Steve Cutts Trophy.

Clara Gilbert – The Kathleen Munford Cup.

Harrison Whitty – The Stamford Studio of Speech and Drama Cup.

Vault Theatre Academy – The Joan Sutton Trophy.

Harrison Whitty – The Mary Nesbitt Cup.

Isla Sansom & Alexa Thompson – The Millennium Cup.

Destiny Noibi – The Peterborough Drama Festival Trophy.

Suzanne Tuck – The Tina Doyle Award.

Jack Dale & Kimberley Brewster – The President’s Cup.

Ayden Taylor – The June Horner Cup.

Morten Seeberg – The Sheila Anstee Trophy.

Isla Liddle – The Cupit Shield.

Oliver Edwards & Scarlett Conway – The Delia Firman Cup.

Vault Theatre Academy – The Queen’s Birthday Cup.

The Peterborough Drama Festival, which has a legacy spanning decades in Peterborough, has set several local youngsters on the road to stardom, some appearing on the London stage, working on television productions and others pursuing drama and the performing arts as a career.

Further information about the Peterborough Drama Festival can be found online at www.peterboroughdramafestival.org.uk

The Peterborough Drama Festival 2024

Click on Gallery to see photographs of the 2024 Drama Festival. 

Peterborough Drama Festival – local young talent shines bright

Published online by the Peterborough Telegraph in March 2024.

The 2024 Peterborough Drama Festival showcased an inspiring range of choral speaking performances, acting, prose reading, verse speaking, duologues, storytelling and prepared speech last weekend.

A positive event held over two days there were more than 70 performers taking part in individual syllabus classes which covered a full range of dramatic arts and disciplines; as well as seven schools taking part in the choral speaking showcase.

Festival honorary secretary, Ben Newstead, said : “The committee were delighted with the success of the event and the talent that was showcased from pupils aged 6 – 18 from across the city.

“We are still regrowing post pandemic but hope that more individuals, local schools, drama groups and theatre academies will be inspired to participate in the next festival in March 2025. The schedule will be released on the festival website in the summer term.”

A professional adjudicator affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals, Mrs Vivienne Redford, spoke incredibly highly of the calibre of the performances and praised teachers for their enthusiasm and dedication to the dramatic arts. She was delighted to be able to adjudicate in Peterborough once again.

Trophy-winners at the Choral Speaking showcase were:

The Peterborough School (Year 1) – The John & Ro Martin Trophy.

Laxton Junior School (Years 5 & 6) – The Welwyn Cup.

The Peterborough School (Year 7) – The Julie Cliffe Trophy.

Trophy-winners at the Drama Festival syllabus classes were:

Betty Brown – The Steve Cutts Trophy.

Lara Taylor – The Kathleen Munford Cup.

Harrison Whitty – The Stamford Studio of Speech and Drama Cup.

Anisha Shah, Jaya Shah and Maddalena Chiarizia – The Jean Hodson Award.

Shreya Sajosh – The St Thomas More School Cup.

Harrison Whitty – The Mary Nesbitt Cup.

Matilda Lethbridge and Jenna Niaz – The Millennium Cup.

Florence Fluckiger – The Peterborough Drama Festival Trophy.

Isla Hockel – The Winfrey Cup.

Ziva Iboje – The Thomas de la Rue Trophy.

Paige Posnett – The Tina Doyle Award.

Sakeena Damani and Ella Rose – The President’s Cup.

Maddalena Chiarizia – The June Horner Cup.

The Festival, which has a legacy spanning decades in Peterborough, has set several local youngsters on the road to stardom, some appearing on the London stage, working on television productions and others pursuing drama and the performing arts as a career.

Peterborough Drama Festival 2023

Successful return for Peterborough Festival of Speech and Drama

The Peterborough Festival of Speech and Drama returned last weekend with an inspiring range of acting, verse speaking, duologues, storytelling, and choral speaking.

This was a much anticipated, and welcome return for the City Festival which, over the last 70-plus years, has set several local youngsters on the road to stardom, some appearing on the London stage and others pursuing drama and the performing arts as a career.

Festival organisers were delighted to be back after two years of lockdown and disruption, and next year they wish to build further on this year’s successful return, hoping that many more local schools will be joining in the fun.

Although the 2023 Festival consisted of a much-reduced range of skills and disciplines, it was deemed to be very successful, and now the organising committee hopes to build on this again in 2024, when many more of the traditional disciplines are re- introduced.

Professional adjudicators from the National Federation of Festivals, Mrs Vivienne Redford and Mrs Vivienne Cunningham, spoke highly of the youngsters’ performances and praised teachers for their hard work and enthusiasm.

This 2023 Festival was hosted, for the first time, by The Lime Academy Parnwell, and the new venue proved to be a great success, being highly praised for its support, facilities, and friendly hospitality.

Trophy-winners were:

Lara Taylor – the Alan Edgeley Trophy.
Liane Justo – The Brendan Cave Trophy.
Shreya Sajosh – The Cupit Shield.
Thomas Boyd and Amber Stirling – Peterborough Drama Festival Cup.
Shreya Sajosh – The Eric and Joan Sutton Trophy.
Harrison Whitty – The Joyce Baker Trophy.
Ayden Turner – The June Horner Cup.
Libby Sharp – The Kathleen Munford Cup.
Charles Bass – The Mary Nesbit Trophy.
Henry Jiang – The Sheila Anstey Trophy.
Zinachidi Nwamarah – The Stamford Studio of Speech and Drama Award.
Harrison Kilbon – the Steve Cutts Trophy.
Violet Prescott – The St Thomas More School Trophy.
Sakeena Damani – The Thomas De La Rue Trophy.
Georgina Hopkin – The Tina Doyle Award.
Alexandra Foster – The Vera Eddington Trophy.
Sandra Sajosh – The Winfrey Cup.