Trophy haul at festival

John Nurden

john.nurden@KRNmedia.co.uk

Hurrah: Clockwise from top left, James Bearden, Rebecca Elliott, Reuben Jager, Maddie Durdant-Hollamby and Alice Wiggans
Winner: Fourteen-year-old Joshua Graves
Double: Thomas Hilliard from Faversham from Deborah Capon Dance School
Bronze: Alexandra Barton from Whitstable

DRAMA students at Whitstable's Deborah Capon College are basking in the spotlight of success.

They returned with a haul of six trophies from the Kent Competitive Festival in Cobham.

Students clocked up 12 first, eight second and two third places.

Eight-year-old Thomas Hilliard from Faversham walked away with the Widlake Cup for verse and the Bartlett Cup for prose reading with a piece from popular children's book Horrid Henry.

Rebecca Elliott and James Bearden, both 10, clinched the Hodson Cup for their acting of a scene where they played a brother and sister at war.

Maddie Durdant-Hollamby, 11, won the Christine Cup for prose reading while 15-year-old Emily Champion became the excitable Doris from My Mother Said I Never Should and walked away the Raggett Cup for acting plus the Hollington Cup for reading at sight.

First places were also gained by Joel Taylor, Emily-Nicole Heywood, Abigail Hanson and Amy Fenlon.

James Bearden, Rebecca Elliott, Joel Taylor, Abigail Hanson and Joshua Graves all won through to the hotly-contested final.

Fourteen-year-old Joshua Graves scooped the title Senior Award for the Best Performance in Festival in the final with his performance of the poem It's Behind You and walked away with a complete set of William Shakespeare plays.

Josh went on to perform at the prize-winners' concert at the Dominion Priory, Canterbury on July 4.

Retaining their 100 per cent pass rate, students clocked up an impressive six merits and 13 distinctions in their London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) exams.

Three students, Esme Crouch (with merit), Alexandra Barton (with distinction) and Charlotte Corby (with distinction) took home their bronze medal in verse and prose.

Teacher Julia Rogers said: "The festival was a glorious day with some spectacular performances all round and some wonderful results.

"There were many special moments for proud parents and teachers watching. Tom was particularly excited to find the name of Hollywood star Orlando Bloom as a previous winner of one of his cups. Who knows how many Hollywood stars we have in the making here in Whitstable?"

Students hope to showcase some of their work in a show towards the end of the year.