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Drama Cuppers 2014: A Judge’s View

30 shows, 4 days: yes, it was that time of year again. The time of year where aspiring thesps flock to the Burton Taylor Studio for a whirlwind week of drama and heated competition. It certainly did not disappoint. As the producer of the event, I was hugely impressed with what all of the groups came up with; shortlisting the winners was by no means an easy task. Nonetheless, here’s a flavour of some of our favourite shows from the week.

Colin and Katya – Univ (Best Of Cuppers, Best New Writing)

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As we left the auditorium after this show, one of my fellow judges had nothing to say but “That can’t possible have been written by a student.”

He was wrong about that. Jack Clover has certainly exploded onto the drama scene with this superb piece of new writing – the plot is an exquisite balance of comedy with more serious matter, which questions the portrayal of women, the judgemental nature of society and the inner-workings of culture itself. Clover’s play shows an intense amount of consideration for the audience’s emotional journey; we instantly find ourselves rooting for the hero, Colin, and his journey becomes ours.

A great test of a piece of new writing is how effectively other theatrical components are used to showcase the story. Colin and Katya certainly withstands this test. The stage design was minimalistic yet incredibly powerful, drawing the focus sharply on the story itself. As far as acting goes, there was very little to fault. There was a profound depth to all of the characters, including the narrators; the actors had carefully considered every little detail and nuance. The onstage interaction between the characters was incredibly natural, and the more abstract, physical moments were incredibly sharp and well rehearsed. The role-switching was clear and effective and the narration was engaging and perfectly paced to suit the moment. The wonderfully subtle comedic moments were perfectly timed and powerfully executed.

In short, all of the elements were there. There was very little about this play that hadn’t been well planned and creatively executed, even down to the computer keys used for tickets. Look out for these guys – we’d have paid more than £1 to see this.

Eight – Brasenose (Best Director, Best Actress)

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Most of us had previously heard of Ella Hickson’s play Eight; eight monologues which build up a chilling portrait of the distorted nation we live in. We walked into the auditorium believing that we had a good idea of what we were about to see, but Jess Ward’s unique handling of the material was outstanding, and made Eight a real front-runner from the start.

For one thing, the monologues were not performed consecutively and in their entirety, but spliced up and woven in with one another, creating a gripping web of plot-lines and suspense. The emphasis on physical theatre was also hugely effective; the moments of ensemble were well rehearsed and created a powerful visual, using movement and subtle interaction to compliment each of the monologues. This had an incredibly disturbing effect and the heightened tension was only enhanced by the use of white masks, adding a new dimension to the play concerning the nature of identity. 

There were multiple contenders here for Best Actor/Actress. In a play 100% comprised of pieces of monologue, the finished product can only work if the actors have an in-depth understanding of the characters that they are portraying, and if these are developed well. However, there were no weak links in this cast; as individuals, each monologue was engaging and powerful. More importantly, as a group, they offered a colourful display of diversity, with each character bringing something different, and special, to the overriding story. The success of this show was a combination of innovative direction with incredibly skilled acting.

Down By Law – Wadham (Best Design, Best Actor)

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What did we like about this one? It was daring. Any play which is dominated by space, time and silence is difficult to pull off. And luckily for these guys, we thought it worked.

Adapting a film for stage is incredibly different. Arguably, the most significant challenge is working with an entirely different visual framework. In a screenplay, you can change up the shots and angles; in a theatre you’re given a fixed space. These guys used this space extremely effectively. he set, for one thing, was magnificent. The crew had fashioned 2 sets of wooden jail bars, which were moved around the front of the stage to alter perceptions of enclosure, and to situate the audience within or without the cell – whichever fitted the moment best. The tech complimented this, utilising levels of light to mark changes in time, and culminating in an explosive finale whose staging provided a dynamic shift in atmosphere and pace.

The way the actors handled themselves really reflected the atmosphere onto the audience; time slowed right down. Ali Porteous was a worthy winner of our Best Actor award; he kept his character alive and delightfully colourful even in an environment where little interaction was offered to him. He offered a ray of hope, drawing out the best in the characters around him. He also played the audience well, with some well-timed moments of humour.

This was very ambitious yet well executed piece, which we really appreciated.

In Conclusion…

I would have liked to write a lot more. The standards were incredibly high, and just because only a handful of shows ended up winning prizes, it didn’t mean that we weren’t incredibly impressed with everyone. I just couldn’t afford to buy anymore trophies, really.

Despite what certain student publications have been telling you recently, I believe Oxford drama is worth your time and money. As I sat in the BT pretty much 24/7, it was heartening seeing the effort and care that had been invested into these half-hour slots; for me, it made all the chaos completely worth it. These students had been at Oxford for a few weeks, but amidst the subfusc and those first gruelling essay-crises they had taken the time out to assemble a team, put together a play and see it realised onstage. Their enthusiasm to integrate themselves into Oxford’s weird and wonderful world of theatre made them a joy to work with.

And watch this space; we’ve seen Macbeth and Banquo throwing shapes to Abba, we’ve had piano playing through a blackout and we’ve had a crazed director with a profound love for Barbara Streisand…

Who knows what these guys will come up with next?

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