Crawford drama students captivate

On 29 May, four plays brought a little laughter and moody delight to an excited audience.

The event is annually held by Grade 11 students of Crawford College Lonehill. This year’s theme was The Oscars and pupils showed their wealth of dramatic talent during plays which dealt with a variety social and political issues, epmloying playful humour and subtle finesse.

The evening was adjudicated by Jennifer Aldridge and Heidi Mollentze.

The first play was Fugee, a chronicle of a child from the Ivory Coast named Kojo, and his struggles on the streets of Johannesburg as a refugee. The play acts as a testament to these ‘forgotten children’ and displays a tragic view on the world’s moral blindness. The play’s directors Manana Moerane and Maxine Fenner won the awards for best poster and best direction.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike was a performance of the Tony Award winning play by Christopher Durang. The play follows the quiet and peaceful life of Vanya and his adopted sister Sonia, and their life in a country house in Buck’s County, which is soon interrupted by their movie star sister Masha and dim-witted boyfriend Spike. Justin Carlse, who played the humorous and complex role of Vanya, won the best actor award for his performance.

Dream of the Burning Boy was a searing tragedy dealing with the death of Dane Bentley, played by Conner Goosen.The play captured the human condition showing struggles of the characters such as Larry Morrow, played by Ross Wilkinson and Rachael Bentley, a role which won Zandri Voster the best actress award.

The final performance of the night, which caught the eye of the adjudicators and inevitably won the best play award, was Home, Sweet Home. A play starring Ashleigh Williams, Sabrina Pacheco and Kelsey Andrews, it touched on issues regarding three South African women who leave their home country for London, but soon realise the emotional bond they have with their country of birth.