Actor confronts teacher to win award
A YOUNG actor from Bishop Auckland won an award this week for producing the most powerful 30 seconds of a play.
Tyler Thompson, a pupil at King James I Community Arts College won the award at the Annual Sedgefield Drama Festival for his performance in The Secret, a Bishop Auckland Theatre Hooligans Production.
The 14-year-old plays troubled teen Maff in the play written by Bath founder Stephen Elliott about the effect a new drama teacher has on a misbehaving bunch of boys.
Tyler’s award was in recognition of the scene where his character confronts his new teacher and sings to her, showing that he is not the waster that people have labelled him as.
Joanne Howard, a real-life drama teacher at King James, was nominated for Best Actress award for her role as the inspirational tutor.
Sean Nicholson was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor and the whole group was shortlisted for the Best ensemble award.
Bath leader Debbie Connell said: “The Secret was judged alongside nine other plays during the week long festival by a member of the UK Guild of Drama Adjudicators.
“We received four nominations but three went to other productions. I am very pleased that Tyler won though.
“The Secret cast were also praised for their dance routine.
“They were the youngest cast to have entered the festival and these nominations and awards are testament to their hard work and commitment to the group.”
The cast also performed the Secret in front of Durham’s Police Authority this week as a thank you for funding received earlier in the year and as part of a child protection workshop inspired by the Baby P case.
October will also be a busy month for the rest of the popular youth theatre.
Ten members of the group are preparing for a trip to Jamaica next week following on from their highly successful film project last year.
The members will spend a week working with the Montego Bay Boys and Girls Club and Flankers Peace and Justice Centre as well as establishing a new link with a local school.
The group will be focusing on setting up an enterprise business which will be run by the young people in both groups to generate funds for the education and welfare of the Jamaican groups. As well as the enterprise project they will also be learning more about Jamaican dance so that they can teach it in the UK.
Meanwhile, a small group will perform a piece on Anti-Social Behaviour to a group of 150 Lady Magistrates at the Council Chambers at Durham County Hall as part of Inside Justice Week.
Another 10 BATH members will take part and perform for an Inter-Generational Event at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington on behalf of Age Concern and Durham Police, an event which looks at stereotyping of the old and young in our community.
BATH are also currently working on a performance for the National Police Conference in Nottingham in when they will be appearing with Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harman.
This performance will look at confidence in local policing in the current economic climate and in socio-economically deprived areas of our communities.