Everyday Fairytales

It was great to visit KYDZ – after a 2 year break from performing in front of a live audience.  However this group hasn’t let lockdown put a stop to their antics.  They have been meeting regularly over “Zoom” throughout the entire time, and this has really strengthened their performance – both vocally but also bringing their confidence to the fore too!

KYDZ thrives on creating and performing their “own” productions – and this evening’s performance focussed on the challenges faced predominantly by young women growing up in modern society.  They were all extremely powerful performances dealing with delicate subjects that many people would fear to tackle.

The production was split into 3 acts – the first focussing on a new twist on Cinderella – “Fairytale Ending”.  This section was directed by Aidan Knights and Linsey Fothergill, and choreographed by Hannah Woollett.  This was a cleverly written piece (by David Knights), based on the story we all love and know, with a twist of Cinders meeting Prince Charming…but who will get to live happily ever after?  This was performed mainly by the younger members of the group (the pre teens) – with very strong performances from everyone.  There was great use of backing tracks, and very clear strong vocal performances.  There were some very funny, well delivered lines – but overall there were some very strong messages coming through in this piece, which should all make us stop and think about how we treat people in every day life.

The second act - “Dare”  - was performed by the teens section – drawing on some of their own experiences.  This was directed and written by David, but doing what this group do best, it included discussions with the cast – so they were able to playout some real experiences.  This piece was all about “girl power” – ensuring that the female voice is heard when dealing with their sexist head master.  The were extremely strong performances from the main 6 characters.  Again, with clever use of backing tracks the vocals came over loud and clear – with cleverly written lyrics to enhance the storyline.

The final act – “Rising Up” – was portrayed by a group of sixth formers talking in detention, revealing how they’ve been affected by males in their lives.  This section was directed and written by Sevi Ledgard, with monologues written by Sevi, Tam, Imogen and Evelyn.  Each one of the stories was extremely powerful and moving and also included great backing tracks with strong vocals and lyrics to tell the story.  A strong cast of 6 really got the messages across and everyone deserved the great applause at the end.

KYDZ continue to push boundaries – to tell stories that others would shy away from, but whilst we think that these issues would probably only be tackled in a soap opera or TV drama, this group does what it does best – it includes experiences, improvisation and inspiration in everything they do.  With a great Backstage and Admin team as support this group goes from strength to strength giving young people their chance to shine and tell so many important stories and issues about modern day living.

Congratulations to everyone involved.  Long may your enthusiasm and energy continue!

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.