It felt very special to have a full audience back for the Speech and Drama Competition this year. This annual event is a calendar highlight and the finalists of 2022 more than held their own against previous performances. Whether you have just watched your first, or simply your most recent of many, the afternoon never fails to deliver with the breadth of material, the range of the performers, and the sheer delight in being entertained. Every child from Year 1 through to Year 6 participated in the heats, where they performed set pieces in front of their own year groups. Six children from each year group progressed to the finals to perform pieces of their choice in front of an audience of children, staff and families.
It was an absolute pleasure to be whisked away to the shoreline, to be amused by animals and to hear the myriad of excuses offered up in poetry and prose for not having done homework or tidied bedrooms. Comic timing was demonstrated with aplomb and even the youngest performers rose to the occasion and entertained an engaged and enthusiastic audience.
Our children never fail to impress us, but it was lovely to hear our judge, Niki Marks, stating how amazed she was to see the confidence and self-awareness demonstrated on stage. Niki is Head of Performing Arts at Prince William School, and she definitely had the hardest job of the afternoon. Without exception the performances were lively and confident – the pupils spoke clearly, used the stage confidently and skipped off at the end beaming and clearly displaying how much they enjoyed the process.
Zara , Olivia and Jossie took home the Infant, Junior and Senior Speech and Drama trophies, but every single performer should be proud of their achievement in reaching the final, and their performance on the day. The staff, parents, pupils, friends and families in attendance certainly all appreciated their efforts and we are all looking forward to doing it all again next year. Bravo!
