House Drama
After last year’s House Drama competition unexpectedly turned out to be the final live theatre event from the Drama department before COVID arrived and messed everything up, it came as no surprise that nothing would prevent House Drama from taking place this year, even if it had to go completely digital. Although the various safety restrictions posed a considerable challenge to the usual proceedings, rehearsals went ahead mostly on schedule and indeed this year’s rendition proved to be quite a unique experience, becoming an online event screened exclusively from people’s homes. All four houses pushed forward and promised that this would be a night to be remembered, packed with a high-quality range of performances, genres and styles, all of which were judged by Director-in-Residence and PGS alumni James Gulliford.
pieces; Jacob French of Whitcombe did a fantastic piece from Lord of the Flies, Annie Jenkins from Grant provided a spirited rendition of Goodbye Charles and some guy from Latter whose name currently escapes me gave an energetic portrayal of a mental breakdown from Better Call Saul, loud enough in fact that Nicholas Lemieux it elicited a complaint from his sister working upstairs. The winner however was ultimately Maisie English from Smith for a truly harrowing performance from the upcoming Sixth Form play Monsters as a mother struggling to handle her grief over her son’s murder, a well-earned victory for Smith on the whole. Equally impressive was the collection of duologues, masterfully pulled off in creative manners despite COVID restrictions. The evening saw some truly masterful adaptations
Monologue-wise, there was some steep competition between the houses with a strong variety of compelling character Charlotte Earl 92
THE PORTMUTHIAN 2020-21
Daisy Sissons
