Fragment

It was a privilege  to be asked  by St John Rigby College to attend “Fragment” their performing arts students examination production again this year. “Fragment”was an eclectic mix of  drama, comedy and musicals by different authors and included excerpts from some well known and some not so well known short pieces, plays and musicals. All the students showed lots of versatility, and performed very well, which must be admired  especially as they were not only performing in front of an audience this was also an academic examination . 
The first piece was ‘Waitress” a musical which has music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, and is based on the 2007 film of the same name, written by Adrienne Shelly, The story centres around Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and pie-maker who longs for a way to escape her loveless abusive marriage to her husband Earl. Things get even more complicated  when Jenna unexpectedly becomes pregnant. There were two excerpts from this show in the program, in the first Jenna and her two waitress friends are discussing the fact that she may be pregnant, and in the second Jenna sees a way out of her marriage when a baking contest in a nearby town presents her with the perfect opportunity. both pieces were performed by Emma Holland, Amy Gaskell and Megan Cain. 

The next piece was called “Remember the Burrito” by Lindsey Price  performed by Natalie Perry and Abbie Bayley. During a sleepover a group of seven year old girls make a plan to catch the first snowflake on their tongue from the first snow of winter, in the belief that it would make their wishes come true and bring them luck. Now the girls are sixteen and there are only two girls left, one of them is now rather sceptical but the other still remains positive  because she remembers them wishing for a burrito and what did they have for dinner burritos. 

Then there was “Full Circle”  by Joseph Arnone, a dramatic piece for two female actors Eleanor Larkin and Rhiann Rigby who played Tanya and Beverly, two former best friends and housemates who just happen to bump into one another in a park, unfortunately they have not spoken since Beverly left their home and friendship to move in with her female lover, so the piece looks at the affect this had on them both, their current lives and consequences.

‘Basket Case”  by Joseph Arnone,  was performed by Godsfavour Inyang and Lucy Bache, it is about the relationship between a mother and daughter. One day the mother appears upset and tells her daughter that Uncle Frank has been killed in an accident, which is a bit of a shock  to the daughter as she did not know Frank existed. They both attend the funeral and the daughter learns she has more relatives then she was led to believe.

Then we have a scene from “Fame” the Musical by David De Silva
Again performed by Natalie Perry and Abbie Bayley , here we eavesdrop on a discussion between the English teacher and a Dance teacher from the Performing Arts Academy as they discuss and sing about the admission of a student who is not particularly academic but is a talented dancer. 

Next, in the piece “Enough is Enough” again by Joseph Arnone, Sarah confronts her mother’s carer in the nursing home where her mother is living, as there is evidence that her mother has been abused  by the nurse in question. This thought provoking piece was brought to the stage by Godsfavour Inyang and Lucy Bache. 

Lastly but definitely not least we had an excerpt from the  “Brothers Grimm Spectathalon” by Don Zolidias performed by,Sam Dyson, Kai Platt,Callum Matthews and Kian Mokler. The play takes the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm as they have not been seen before, in an attempt to recreate all of the 209 fairy tales by trying to combine them into one gigantic piece. Included in this excerpt  were the stories of Rapunzel, Red Riding Cap, and Hansel and Gretal. The play has some really good slapstick humour which was very funny, there is audience participation meaning a good rapport is needed with the audience and it has quick changes which needed plenty of energy.  

Overall in this production “Fragment”accents were good as was diction and projection, singing was on key and nicely performed, there was some excellent dramatic acting and good comic timing resulting in very funny comedy enjoyed by the audience. There was also a good understanding of the important and sometimes thought provoking subject matter being performed, which could be seen in the acting and interpretation by the students and there were some excellent dramatic and comedic characters produced. But just a point to be constructive and this is not a criticism but something to be aware of for the future, a few of the students did appear a little nervous and a little unsure when performing dialogue, which can affect the pace of a play or show. However, I have to say that all the students showed allot of talent, with great potential, and there were examples of good teamwork meaning that if these performances were anything to go by the future of theatre is in safe hands. 
Congratulations to all the staff and students involved in this entertaining evening.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.