JMU Drama students show class at Festival

Students from all three years came together to create seven plays over two weeks from scratch

The JMU Drama students have once again collaborated to make a high standard and truly professional drama festival. The Enigma Festival took place over the last two weeks of March and showcased the abilities of the John Moore’s Drama department across all three years.

James Frieze, Drama Lecturer at JMU, said: “Every year there are different kinds of work on offer, but the one thing that is almost always evident is the energy and resilience of JMU's Drama students when it comes to putting on a festival. "

Ross McCall directed ‘The Hotel’, inspired by the play ‘Dirty Wonderland’, which looked at the goings on behind closed doors in a hotel. Mello Mello opened its upstairs where audiences were lead around viewing various awkward scenes tackling issues such as rape, depression and pregnancy but with a comic twist. Ross McCall said: “I think we made the audience feel very awkward which was what we wanted to do. We thought if you try and be too dark it can be a bit pretentious. You need the element of comedy to make the dark elements even darker really.”

Three of the pieces were scripted by performers including ‘Bridesmaids’
written by Tabitha Burns. The story blended fairytales and folklore to make
a magical tale of love and sisterhood. Tabitha had read around the subjects
of fairies and built the script around traditional wedding stories about fairies
stealing the bride away on her wedding day. Tabitha said: “I think it went
really well and I’m so glad I got to be in it.” The piece was directed by Rosie
Selman who said: “I think it was brilliant. Everyone lost their inhibitions. Nerves
sometimes tend to get the better of actors and tend to make us rush through
things but none of that happened tonight.”

‘Frank’s Not Invited’ looked at the current clubbing culture in the UK. Katherine
Oliver, who devised the piece, said: “It looks at the idea that when we go out
we’re someone different and it tackles problems with drugs and alcohol.”
Set in the basement of the Novas Contemporary Urban Centre, the audience
watched a club scene unfold featuring various monologues by intoxicated
youths.

Alexandra Rennie directed ‘An Evening with the Grand Guignol’ which bought horror to the stage with fake blood a plenty. Split into four one act plays the audience was treated to black comedy of the highest order. Alexandra Rennie said: “I think it went really well. That’s the best we’ve ever done it.” One particularly memorable piece, met with gasps from the audience, was an interlude featuring one actor having a nail hammered into his head.

There were an amazing seven plays put on by the students over two weeks. JMU’s drama department has been left with one challenge and that’s to bring the festival back next year bigger and better.

Scares came thick and fast from the Grand Guignol