This year’s House Drama presented a slightly different challenge with the Lower Sixth students being given more responsibility than ever to produce a high-quality performance. They were tasked with telling an ‘untold story’ by creating an original sequel or a prequel that previously did not exist.  

AGN House chose to stage a dystopian play set in the future enacting three select scenes of destruction: a flood, a wildfire and the impact of plastic in our oceans. Narrated by Eve, a strong-willed inventor who wants to change the world, it was a stunning performance with a meaningful message! A sequel to the well-loved story, Annie was the basis for the AGS production in which Miss Hannigan is back and Annie has to find a way to stop the orphanage being shut down and save her old family – the AGS girls were on top form with some wonderful singing and ensemble moments. Always up for a challenge, a sequel to George Orwell’s 1984 was Aisholt’s untold story, 1985, featuring a character called Bram Whitby who finds unlikely inspiration to take a stand against the oppressive regime which has taken hold of Oceania or what used to be referred to as ‘Britain’. Holcombe chose to base their performance on a prequel to Alice in Wonderland with a very creative devised piece about the Hatter’s past, a dramatic tale of adventure, family and the Red Queen’s Army! Another well-known children’s story was the inspiration for Tedworth’s play, an imaginative and colourful prequel to Peter Pan.   

The Guest Adjudicator for House Drama this year was Sarah O’Connor who is currently starring in Waitress in the West End. Sarah brought a wealth of theatrical experience to the difficult task of judging the competition and Aisholt House were ecstatic to be named as the winner of the House Drama 2019 competition.   

Director of Drama and Dance, Mrs Kirsty Richardson said, “The Lower Sixth must be applauded for the ingenuity with which they approached this year’s theme, not only did they all choose excellent stories as their starting points, but they also created characters, scenes and overall plots from scratch. My thanks go to Sarah O’Connor for agreeing to adjudicate the competition and we are so grateful to her for taking time out of her busy schedule starring in Waitress to be with us. I must also express my gratitude to the amazing Drama Department who year in, year out closely mentor each of the Houses and of course, the Drama Seniors who worked so hard. All the performances were simply amazing, and it was not an easy task to choose a single winner but my congratulations go to Aisholt for their very clever and thought-provoking production of 1985.” 

View the gallery of photos of House Drama 2019 here