KILDARE: First ever drama festival for schools is staged in Naas

The inaugural Class Act drama festival hosted by the Moat Theatre, Naas, is a one-act play competition for secondary schools which attracted entries from Kildare as well as Tipperary’s  Cashel Community School. 

They served up an evening of entertaining and innovative drama.

Competing groups produced short dramas without the use of sets or elaborate lighting plots.  Financially, this meant they all competed on a level playing field, with the  focus on dramatic performance and creativity with the use of only props and rehearsal cubes.  

Judged by Anna Walker, of the Association of Drama Adjudicators, the schedule ranged from Shakespearean to school politics with excellent individual performances and memorable moments.  

The festival team  came up with the idea having observed that while there are numerous extracurricular events in sport and music, there was a need for a drama-based competition for young people to allow them to express their dramatic skills and meet like-minded students from different schools.   

With artistic performance  now an option on the new Junior Cycle syllabus and the hope that  drama, theatre and film studies will be introduced to the Leaving Certificate from 2024,  the organisers felt the time was right for a competition giving teachers and students the chance to develop skills as writers, directors and actors. 

Class Act is already booked into the Moat Theatre for 2024. 

The festival organisers expect it to expand to include schools from all over the country in the coming years.

The award winners on the night were as follows: Adjudicators Award: Oisin Lynam Campbell for his role as Doctor in Superhero Support Group (Naas Community College); 

Best Moment in Theatre:  The  portrayal of Timekeeper, by Charlie O Laoire, in 

The Election  (Gael-Choláiste Chill Dara);  Best Original Play: There's been an Accident, by Tom Noone (Naas CBS); Best Actress:  Nora O’Brien as Juliet’s Nurse in Merry Regiment of Women, Cashel Community School; Best Actor: Conor Morgan as Tom in There’s been an Accident;   Overall Runner Up: There’s Been an Accident. 

The winner of the inaugural Class Act trophy for best play was, Seán Uinseann Ó Conaill (GCCD), who wrote and directed The Election

Secondary school teachers or students interested in the 2024 festival should contact Brian Lyons, festival director on: 085-1567728 or moatclassact@gmail.com.

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