The speech and drama section at this week’s 69th annual Highbridge Festival has seen many original and exciting performances, with over 300 performers taking part.
Adjudicator Jonathan Owen said that he was very impressed with the standard of performances at Burnham-On-Sea’s Princess Theatre – so impressed, in fact, that he awarded no less than six Honours certificates.
As a pantomime expert, he was delighted to judge the pantomime entries, saying: “This is the first time that I have had the pleasure of adjudicating pantomime at a Festival. I adore pantomime and hope that you will continue to include classes in future years.”
“The audience enjoyed the performances too, joining in enthusiastically – booing, hissing, cheering and, of course, laughing their way through the performances.”
Children from local primary schools across the Burnham-On-Sea area took part in Choral Speaking classes, as well as reciting poems and reading prose individually.
The Festival was pleased to welcome several new schools to the event and a spokeswoman said they hope the children enjoyed taking part.
Older children not only recited poetry, but also showcased their acting skills, performing extracts from scripted drama pieces as well as original work.
All performers were praised for their achievements and also benefitted from the adjudicator’s long experience of acting on stage and screen.
Sue Walton, the Festival’s Speech & Drama Secretary said: “Jonathan was an excellent adjudicator. He appreciated everyone’s performances and gave great feedback to enable performers to develop their skills. The ability to speak in public is an important life skill and I would love to welcome more schools to the Festival next year.”
Also see:
Results from the 2016 Highbridge Arts Festival
