Young actors put in winning performances
Young actors have been showing who has the edge at an annual awards celebration.
Bath Young Actor of the Year is a highlight of the Mid-somerset Festival calendar and juniors and seniors have been taking to the boards.
Six talented performers competed at the University of Bath’s arts venue, The Edge on October 12 for the fifth annual awards.
Adjudicators Ben Humphrey and Ann Bauer declared the evening “a fantastic celebration of all things theatrical”.
Each contestant had to provide a 10-minute repertoire on a theme of his or her choice.
Joshua Glover, the youngest competitor, won the cup in the junior section for his exploration of Life and Destiny.
Ben called it a “brave choice” Joshua made in starting with Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man which everyone knows and he congratulated him on his ‘wonderful understanding of form and physicality.’
Joint runners-up in this section were Raphael Gahagan and Milenna Aldam. Raphael was commended by Ben for the ‘genuine sense of care’ and his engagement with the audience during the pieces he chose for his theme The Children’s War. Ann complimented Milenna on the sincerity she brought to her performances.
Anabella Fairgrieve’s ‘invisible’ acting and ‘less is more’ performance in Finding Your Voice was judged a winner. From her powerfully moving portrayal of Rosie in Bovell’s Things I Know to be True to her pitch-perfect accent and clever, comic timing in The Help, “she drew us in with a quiet power” said Ann, winning Anabella the senior Bath Actor of the Year cup.
Runners-up Jack Attwood and Alice Robinson explored Ambition and Who was Anne Boleyn? as their themes. Jack’s command of the stage and ability to play the audience was evident in all his pieces.
Ben admitted he envied the magnificent power in Jack’s strong, resonant voice – causing the audience to laugh while Anne complimented Alice’s creation of a range of moods in her exploration of Henry VIII’S second wife, saying “your eyes told us so much”.
Former Mayor of Bath Cherry Beath who presented the prizes, said: “There’s fabulous talent here and wonderful diverse pieces.”
She added she was proud to be a patron of the Mid-somerset Festival which is run entirely by volunteers and she encouraged others to become involved.
The 117 year old Mid-somerset Festival will take place from March 6 to 20, next year takes place at venues around the city. For more information go to www.midsomersetfestival.org