Queen's College took double honours at this year’s FNB Alexander Playhouse High School Drama Festival finale on Wednesday night.
Festival coordinator Liz Gibbons said although this was the second time a boys’ school had won, it was the first time a school won both best production and best performer prizes.
The other two schools in the top three, at the grand finale held at the Guild Theatre, were Selborne College and Hudson Park High School.
The festival was started in 2010 and this year’s event began last month with 11 Eastern Cape schools participating. Each school was required to dramatise a 30-minute play based on a published short story.
Queen’s adaptation of Sindiwe Magona’s I am not talking about that now earned the school R10000.
Grade 11 pupil Lawrence Lwanga, who directed and starred in the production, walked away with a R35000 bursary for his first year post school studies.
Lawrence, 17, said he was so excited with his achievement.
“It hasn’t hit me yet, but it is exciting. We’ve had an amazing time putting together this production and I had a great cast, so it has been a journey,” said Lawrence, adding he would pursue studies in law or business and later drama.
Queen’s College teacher Jill Haxton said the story was set in Gugulethu during the apartheid years. It follows a family divided by the struggle, which eventually leads to the death of the son at the hands of his father.
“A mother gets attacked by an activist group, of which his son is part. When the mother returns home and relays the story to her husband, the son is unapologetic about his actions when confronted by his father. In a fit of rage the father kills his son,” said Haxton.
She said they chose the story because it was relevant to the pupils and audiences.
Haxton said they would probably use the prize money to develop their own theatre at the school.
Deon Opperman – multi-award winning South African playwright, director, actor, producer and patron of the festival, who adjudicated the finale said he was impressed with Queen’s performance.
“They have such a strong sense of self, even though their school does not have a drama department or a drama teacher, they were able to put on their own show.
“It was also interesting to see Lawrence hold so much command and discipline over his ensemble,” said Opperman.
Queens scores double at fest
Festival coordinator Liz Gibbons said although this was the second time a boys’ school had won, it was the first time a school won both best production and best performer prizes.
The other two schools in the top three, at the grand finale held at the Guild Theatre, were Selborne College and Hudson Park High School.
The festival was started in 2010 and this year’s event began last month with 11 Eastern Cape schools participating. Each school was required to dramatise a 30-minute play based on a published short story.
Queen’s adaptation of Sindiwe Magona’s I am not talking about that now earned the school R10000.
Grade 11 pupil Lawrence Lwanga, who directed and starred in the production, walked away with a R35000 bursary for his first year post school studies.
Lawrence, 17, said he was so excited with his achievement.
“It hasn’t hit me yet, but it is exciting. We’ve had an amazing time putting together this production and I had a great cast, so it has been a journey,” said Lawrence, adding he would pursue studies in law or business and later drama.
Queen’s College teacher Jill Haxton said the story was set in Gugulethu during the apartheid years. It follows a family divided by the struggle, which eventually leads to the death of the son at the hands of his father.
“A mother gets attacked by an activist group, of which his son is part. When the mother returns home and relays the story to her husband, the son is unapologetic about his actions when confronted by his father. In a fit of rage the father kills his son,” said Haxton.
She said they chose the story because it was relevant to the pupils and audiences.
Haxton said they would probably use the prize money to develop their own theatre at the school.
Deon Opperman – multi-award winning South African playwright, director, actor, producer and patron of the festival, who adjudicated the finale said he was impressed with Queen’s performance.
“They have such a strong sense of self, even though their school does not have a drama department or a drama teacher, they were able to put on their own show.
“It was also interesting to see Lawrence hold so much command and discipline over his ensemble,” said Opperman.
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