Drama festival showcased young talent in Peterborough

Drama Festival 2020 at the Salvation Army Citadel. Winner of the Shakespeare readings class Emma Wheeler with adjudicator Jonathan Owen EMN-201003-073053009 | JPI Media Ltd Resell

Last weekend, almost 350 entrants took part in this year’s Peterborough Drama Festival, which was held over two days at the Salvation Army Citadel, New England.

Ages of those taking part ranged from infant to adult and audience members were able to enjoy a wide range of entertainment covering prose reading, solo and duo acting, choral speaking, mime, verse, Bible reading, improvisation and Shakespeare.

A total of 47 cups, trophies and shields were presented to winning contestants.

The Peterborough Festival is affiliated to the British Federation of Festivals and this year’s professional adjudicators were Samantha Tucker and Jonathan Owen.

Drama Festival 2020 at the Salvation Army Citadel. Storytelling class winner Shreya Sajosh EMN-201003-073031009 | JPI Media Ltd Resell

After the Festival, Jonathan, who has worked extensively on radio, television and stage, wrote: “There is always a genuine buzz of excitement from all the performers and their families. They are so enthusiastic, and genuinely care about their performances. It is obvious they put so much thought and hard work into preparing for the Festival.”

The Peterborough Festival can trace its roots back to 1929, though at the time it was a mixture of acting and music. The two disciplines split in 1945 and the Peterborough Drama Festival was born.

In this year’s programme, festival chairman Pam Tedcastle wrote: “Participation in the Festival fulfils many of the criteria outlined in the National Curriculum and we firmly believe that preparing for the Festival and performing is instrumental in encouraging a love of arts, good communication skills and self-discipline.”