Kempsey Eisteddfod 2024

Drama
The last week saw the annual Kempsey Eisteddfod take place at the Anglican Church hall. Students from Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 Drama all competed with confidence and flair.

The first section of the day was 'Stage 5, Short Play, or Excerpt from Play, Poetry or Prose'. Students entered this section with their Group Devised performances, which they had created throughout the Term, based on a Nursery Rhyme or a Newspaper headline. The results were:

• 1st: Ruby Sproule, Jessica Preston, Tahni Riordon and Jayden Bolton
• 2nd: Kaitlyn Chadwick, Indy Allen and Sophie Perrin
• 3rd: Gracie Campbell, Eva Lemanski and Emily Judd
• 3rd: Emily Woods, Olivia Rafton and Charlotte Burke

The second section was 'Stage 6, Short Play, or Excerpt from Play, Poetry or Prose'. As part of their HSC course, the Year 12 students have to create their own Group Devised piece of theatre. This is a very funny and entertaining performance, which engaged the audience and won first place with their performance titled 'Yummy Mummys'.

• 1st: Phoebe Laws, Amelia Perry, Ellia Baywood, Sasha Shipp and Logan Hill

A little fun was had in the Impromptu section. This section tests the student’s improvisational skills, thinking on the spot, knowing each other's strengths and creating a performance from a given situation after 2 minutes, which is thrilling and challenging. The results were:

• 1st: Ruby Sproule, Jessica Preston, Tahni Riordon, Sharni Crossley and Jayden Bolton
• 2nd: Emily Woods, Olivia Rafton, Charlotte Burke and William Perry
• 3rd: Kaitlyn Chadwick, Indy Allen and Sophie Perrin
• Highly Commended: Gracie Campbell, Eva Lemanski and Emily Judd

After lunch, Shakespeare was performed, with scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth. This is a challenging task, but was confidently tackled by:

• Shakespeare Monologue Solo
  Highly Commended: Jessica Preston
• Shakespeare Duologue Duo
  1st: Jessica Preston and Sharni Crossley
  2nd: Charlotte Burke and Tahni Riordan
• Shakespeare Play or Excerpt from a Play
  1st: Emily Woods, Jayden Bolten and Will Perry

The final section of the day saw the Year 12 students compete in the HSC Monologue Solo. This section allows the students to perform their monologues that they will present as part of their HSC practical component. The results were:

• Two 1st’s: Ellia Baywood
• 1st: Logan Hill
• 2nd: Phoebe Laws
• Two 3rds: Amelia Perry
• 3rd: Sasha Shipp

Congratulations to each and every performer. You have rehearsed diligently and have proven how talented you all are. A big thank you to Mrs Elizabeth Smith for all her hard work in helping to prepare these students. Looking forward to next year.

Mrs Amanda Jordan - Drama Teacher


Music
A number of St Paul's students performed musical items across two days at the Kempsey Eisteddfod. Evie Barton and Sophie Osborne performed two of their HSC pieces on the piano, in which they received first and second place respectively. Lynete Bridgwater, Amelia Perry, Kyan Gibson-Alvandi and Joseph Rautar performed on their instruments, and Ashley Wilson sang. These HSC Music students not only achieved great results at the Eisteddfod, they were also able to receive valuable feedback from the adjudicator, Lynn Lollback, who is an experienced HSC teacher and marker.

Year 10 student Sam Farrell and Year 8 student Matthew Collins also competed in a number of sections on their instruments. In recognition of their achievements, two students received scholarship awards on completion of the Eisteddfod. Matthew Collins received the Scholarship for Most Outstanding Local Instrumentalist - 18 Years & Under, and Kyan Gibson-Alvandi received the Joe Robinson Scholarship for Most Outstanding Local in Guitar. Congratulations to all of our students involved.