ST EDMUND'S COLLEGE CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS 

Congratulations to the Year 11 & 12  & year 10 extended Drama classes who took part in this years Acting Up! Drama festival at the Canberra Theatre. Three Drama groups participated in the festival producing outstanding peices of work. The year 11 &12 group consisting of Austen Saunders, Bertie O'Brien, Callum Brown, Lachlan Bellas, Tom Stonehouse, Tom Stewart, James Rainey and Patrick Mortlock won the Acting Up festival winning the Best Production prize. This is a phenomenal achievement for the boys and the Drama department. The school has particpated in the competition for many years (previously under the name of Fast+Fresh) and this is the first award we have won. As part of the prize for winning this competition the group was given the opportunity to perform at the Short+Sweet festival also at the Canberra Theatre Complex. Short+Sweet is a 10 minute Drama festival, holding competitions worldwide. The Canberra festival takes place every year over a period of 2 weeks and comprises 30 of the best short plays chosen from local playwrites as well as from across the country and the globe, it is a highlight on the Canberra Theatre scene. The boys performed in Week 2 of the competition performing to over 400 people over the course of the week. At the end of each performance the audience get the chance to vote for their 2 favourite plays choosing the 'Peoples Choice' winner. The wiiner of each week then performs in the Gala final, performing with the Critics Choice winners from perfromances in Week 1 and a Wildcard performance. The St Edmund's College Drama boys won the People Choice Award for week 2 by a landslide and performed in the Gala final. Although they did not win an award in the Gala final the boys have acheived something many Canberran Actors and directors would love to achieve, performing and winning during the Short+ Sweet festival. The play wriiten by Pat Morlock and directed by Bertie O'Brien, titled Staying Alive is about a group of struggling actors trying to perform a work of Art. A video of the perfromance will be posted shortly.