Shakespeare Finals: Bishop’s & Trinity take home the awards

By Ruqyyaha Deane and Joshua Surendraraj

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The finals of the 46th Inter-school Shakespeare Drama Competition organized by the Colombo YMCA and Rotary Club of Colombo North, which came to a close recently showcased a wide array of talent and showmanship.

To watch an extract from the performance by Bishop’s College scan the code. Pix by Indika Handuwala

The judges panel for both evenings comprised Kala Keerthi Madhubashini Ratnayake, Suramya Hettiarachichi Perera, Jehan Aloysius, Jehan Bastians, Eraj De Silva and Piyal Kariyawasam.

Musaeus College, Bishop’s College, Holy Family Convent and Devi Balika Vidyalya battled it out for the honour of emerging winner of the Girls’ competition.

However after a captivating set of performances, it was Bishop’s College that managed to win the title on their home turf with a presentation of the tragedy, ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

With their elaborate costumes, to a steady pace that efficiently aimed fit in much of the plot, Bishops’ drew in the audience to their performance.

Notably Raaedha Faizel, who played the ‘Nurse’ put on a stellar performance winning the award for Best Supporting Actress.

The first runner up award was presented to Devi Balika Vidyalaya for their rendition of ‘Much Ado about Nothing’. Each cast member rendered an outstanding staging of the play as they acted out their respective roles against a whimsical set design. The school also took home the award for best stage craft as well.

Musaeus Colleges’ performance of an extract from ‘Twelfth Night’ set the bar early in the competition with their strong leads and interesting use of an ensemble cast. They took home the award of second runner-up.

Holy Family Convent put forward a modernised version of ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ that enthralled the audience and won their hearts. The actresses who played Benedick and Beatrice gave it their all, which had the audience roaring in laughter.

The Best Actress award in the Girls’ finals of the competition was awarded as a joint award shared by Dhehara Waidyasekare from Holy Family Convent for her role as Benedick and Dion Setunge from Gateway College, Rajagiriya for ‘Cleopatra’.

Logos College, Colombo 6 won the award for Best Novice School for their performance of ‘Twelfth Night’.

At the Boys’ finale, the Josephians set the pace for the evening with their rendition of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’. As Caesar’s soldiers swooped on stage with their swords and shields, it was clear the boys from Darley road meant business. Each actor played their hearts out on stage, however it was Niven Nanayakkara’s emotional and powerful performance as ‘Cleopatra’ that captured the audience.

Niven also managed to bag the award for best actor, a title which was last won by a Josephian almost sixteen years ago.

Ananda College

Though the dialogues between the actors, especially that between Caeser and Cleopatra were well timed, some of the other performances did not come out as strong. The boys ended the competition with the award for second- runner.

Ananda College certainly had their work cut out for them, as they followed the Josephians. The cast, however, knew how to work the stage with their talent and did not leave a single dull moment under the spotlight. Their character interactions on stage is perhaps what supported the Anandians to be awarded the first- runners up of the competition.

Wesley College who were up next, preferred to mix things up with their combination of acting and singing. Murtaaz Barry, who played ‘Feste’ the fool, constantly entertained the crowd with his guitar and beautiful vocals.

The cast included a hint of interactive theatre on their set, with some of their actors also emerging from the midst of the audience. The standout performances by the school for the evening, however, were that of Aslam Thurab (Maria), Anuk Fernando (Malvolio) and Akmal Haamid (Sir Toby). The trio also bagged the joint award for Best Supporting Actor.

Despite the school’s valiant efforts though (particularly that of Akmal, who left the audience in stitches) Wesley came in as third runners-up.
Trinity College were the clear winners of the evening, having competed in a minimalistic setting, leaving the audience’s imagination to form the scenes in their minds.

They were also the only cast to perform on stage in school uniform, with a black umbrella being their only prop and the only effects on stage were those created by themselves through the use of their hands, legs and synchronized “oohs and aahs.”

With a minimal set the cast were left to focus solely on their performances. The competition closed on a high, with the trophy now ready to make its way to the hills for a year.

Girls’ School Final Award Winners

Best Actress Award (Joint)- Dhehara
Waidyasekare (Holy Family Convent)
and Dion Setunge from Gateway College,
Rajagiriya
Best Supporting Actress- Raaedha Faizel
(Bishops College)
Best Stagecraft- Devi Balika Vidyalaya

Overall Performance

Winners – Bishop’s College
First runner-up – Devi Balika Vidyalaya
Second runner-up – Musaeus College
Third runner-up – Holy Family Convent

Boys’ School Final Award Winners

Best actor – Niven Nanayakkara
(St. Joseph’s College)
Best supporting Actor (Joint) – Aslam Thurab , Anuk Fernando and Akmal Haamid (Wesley College)
Best Stage Craft- Trinity College Kandy

Overall Performance

Winners- Trinity College, Kandy
First runner-up – Ananda College
Second runner-up – St. Joseph’s College
Third runner-up – Wesley College

*Best Novice School - Logos College