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The Peterborough Drama Festival 2024

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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.