School celebrates a top performance
by Barrie Hudson

A school has all but swept the board at a prestigious drama festival. Commonweal School, in The Mall, Old Town, was one of nine schools and junior and adult drama groups to enter the Harold Jolliffe One Act Play Festival at the Arts Centre in Devizes Road.

And of nine awards the young people, aged from 13 to 16, were entered for, they walked away with six and were runners-up in a seventh.

Their chosen play was Cage Birds by David Campton, which uses a cage, a jailer known as The Mistress, and a cast symbolising various human anxieties, to show how people's ambitions and happiness can be stifled by their own neuroses. The school sent two casts, one male and one female, to showcase the talents of as many of its young actors as possible.

The awards collected were:

• The June Thompson Memorial Cup for Dramatic Endeavour won by the boys.
• Best adult actress in a supporting role won by 15-year-old Lauren Wallis, of Savernake Street, Old Town.
• Best performance by a junior won by Louis Urquhart, 15, of County Road, Swindon.
• Best performance by a youth group won by the girls.
• Best direction won by head of drama Heather Birkbeck and fellow drama teacher Ruth Beckett, who co-directed the piece.
• Best ensemble piece won by the girls.
• Runner-up in the Old Swindonian Cup for Drama.
  

The casts represented Swindon in the Five Counties Youth Drama Festival in Avon on March 27 2004.

The producer of the play was 16-year-old pupil Hasina Sacranie, of Montagu Street. Headteacher Keith Defter praised all concerned and added: "We have always said that we do not do school productions as such we just do productions which involve children who are at school."

Ms Birkbeck said: "You need to choose plays which are quite challenging." Youth acting award winner Louis Urquhart said: "The play shows how people are naturally conservative and imprison themselves with their own fears." Louis played a character called the Wild One, who tries to inspire his fellow captives to escape, only for them to turn on him in their terror.

Best actress award winner Lauren Wallis played The Mistress in both casts. She said: "The Mistress perhaps represents the influence of society. "Perhaps it makes people feel they have to suppress parts of their personalities. That is why they kill the Wild One."

Most of the cast are studying drama or plan to, and many intend trying to make drama a career. Among them is Hollie Collins, 16, of Croft Road, who played a character called Gossip. She said: "I plan to study drama at university and this is very valuable experience." Gossip was played in the male version by Ashley Mehmi, of Newburn Crescent, in Rodbourne, who, at 13, is the youngest cast member. He said: "I was surprised we won so many awards, but really glad." Beth Guilding, 15, of Old Town, played Thump, whose failing is aggression. She said: "All the characters in the play have traits which hold us back."