Youth takes centre stage

The Fast+Fresh Theatre Festival Gala Final took place on Friday, June 25 at Riverside Theatres during which the winners for multiple categories were announced. Prizes were awarded for Best Script, Best Production, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and People’s Choice.

Entrants were from schools around NSW an included John Therry Catholic High School, Tara Anglican School For Girls, Hunter Region Drama School, Oakhill College, Caringbah High School, Oxley College, Australian International Performing Arts High School, Rutherford Technology High School, Casula High School and Bradshaw Youth Theatre.?

Fast +Fresh Theatre is a short play competition for people aged eighteen years and under either as writers, directors or performers. Plays are entered into a heat with the best two entrants from each heat moving forward into the Festival’s Gala Final. All plays must be ten minutes or less in duration and must be written and performed by people who are eighteen years of age or younger.

The Award for Best Actor went to Neil Kolhatkar from Caringbah High School. He played the role of Drama Teacher in ‘The System’ and Bree Ryan-Hill from Rutherford Technology High School won the prize for Best Actress in the role of Leo in ‘C-C-C-Committed’. Their prize packages included an Actors Starter Photography Package with The Headshot Studio, one double pass to any Riverside Theatre production, one double pass to any Newtown Theatre production and a NIDA Youth Holiday Workshop Course.

The prizes for Best Director went to Phil Cunich, Gabe Gurieff, Marcus Traill, Peter Booth, Oliver Penn & Scott Leo from Oxley College, Bowral for the play ‘Mystery Box Of Mayhem’. They were each awarded a prize package including one double pass to any Riverside Theatre production, one double pass to any Newtown Theatre production, one double pass to ‘Winter’s Discontent’ + ‘Meet and Greet’ with William Zappa and a double pass to ‘Gutenberg the Musical’ including attendance at rehearsals and ‘Meet and Greet’.

Rutherford Technology High School was awarded the People’s Choice Award for the play ‘C-C-C-Committed’. The prize package included one double pass to any Riverside Theatre production for all involved, one double pass to any Newtown Theatre production for all involved, one double pass to an ATYP production for all involved and a one hundred dollar cash prize to group.

The prize for Best Play was given to Neel Kolhatkar & Lauren Angus from Caringbah High School for the script of ‘The System’. For their excellent efforts they won a pass to a Masterclass with Brendan Cowell on Writing Comedy, a double pass to any Riverside Theatre production and a double pass to any Newtown Theatre production.

Best Production was awarded to Hunter Region Drama School for the production ‘Skool Play’. In addition to a two hundred dollar cash prize to the group, Hunter Region Drama School entrants won a double pass to any Riverside Theatre production for all involved, a double pass to any Newtown Theatre production for all involved and a double pass to an ATYP production for all involved.

Judge Robert Love added an honourable mention for the play ‘Your Face Is On My Screen’ by The Australian International Performing Arts High School. The play was written and directed by Nicola Creagh and Molly Clark. Creagh, Clark and cast members all won a double pass to a show at Riverside.