Town theatre hosts second schools drama competition
Participants had to stage productions of 20 minutes duration
The Moat Theatre, Naas, was the setting for the 2nd annual ‘Class Act’ post-primary drama competition and Naas CBS emerged as winners of the Moat Club trophy for the best overall play, as well as winning a further four awards on the night.
Secondary schools from around Kildare participated as well as Cashel Community School, Tipperary.
Competing groups were tasked with producing 20-minute plays without the use of traditional sets or elaborate sound and lighting plots.
Instead they made use of stage boxes/rehearsal cubes to devise their set, ensuring that the focus was on acting, storytelling and teamwork, while also providing a level playing field in terms of costs.
Adjudicated by Ms. Evelyn O’Sullivan, ‘Class Act’ enthralled audiences over two nights with plays that ranged from the historical to the absurd to themes affecting young people today.
Sarah Gallagher, Moat Club member and Class Act vice-chairperson said: ‘It is great to have a forum for teenagers to learn and understand drama in its purest form. The qualities of teamwork, camaraderie, self-expression and healthy competition, were all in evidence here.”
With the possibility of a new Leaving Certificate course based on film and drama coming on-stream in the near future, this experience could prove invaluable to secondary school students with an interest in drama.
The ‘Class Act’ team hopes to expand the competition nationwide over the coming years.
If you’d like to start a drama class or drama club in your local secondary school, or already have and wish to compete in ‘Class Act’ 2025, please contact Brian Lyons, festival director on 0851567728 or [email protected]
The award winners were: Adjudicator’s Award: Jimmy Fairless, ‘Calling the World’, Naas CBS; Original Play: ‘Mammy’, TY group, Gael-Choláiste Chill Dara (GCCD), Naas; Moment in Theatre: The Confession Scene – ‘Victor’s Dung’, Drama Club GCCD, Naas; Set use: ‘Mammy’, TY group, GCCD, Naas; Ensemble: Naas CBS; Most Promising Performance: Daniel Mahon, ‘The Janitor’, Clongowes Wood College; Best Actor Male Role: Conor Morgan, Calling the World; Best Actor Female Role: Saoirse Ní Choileáin, ‘Mammy’, TY group, GCCD, Naas; Best Director: Tom Noone, Megan Ward, Kate Connaughton, Marie Mullen, ‘Calling the World”; Best Play: ‘Calling the World’.