Swavesey Village College Theatre Company

Swavesey Village College Theatre Company is an English student group who produce a one-act production each year. The production is auditioned in September and rehearsals begin in November, continuing right up until the first performance. Performances take place between March and June as the production is toured around local theatres competing in drama festivals. The company is based in the village of Swavesey, Cambridgeshire at the village college.

The company is managed by Lisa 'Beddy' Bedford and Judith Pawson.

Company History

The company was formed in 1995, primarily to provide an opportunity for students to improve their performance skills. Since its beginning, the company has been run by students with support from the company managers, who oversee the running of the group. All productions have been entirely directed and performed by the students.

Recent productions

In 2005 the company presented "Missing: Dan Nolan" by Mark Wheeler as its first ever entry into the drama festival circuit. In 2006, the company produced "Maria Marten" or "Murder in the Red Barn" by John Latimer which proved highly acclaimed by drama adjudicators, winning awards at several festivals and beating off competition from 20 other productions to be named first place at one. In 2007, the company finished a well-received run of its production of "Totally Over You" by Mark Ravenhill. It has recently completed its tour of 2008 production, Ruckus in the Garden" by David Farr.

'Ruckus in the Garden' Tour Dates

The company's latest production of "Ruckus in the Garden" by David Farr has just completed the following tour dates.
*5th April 2008: The Youth Centre, Sawston
*17th April 2008: Mumford Theatre, Cambridge
*17th May 2008: Barn Theatre, Welwyn Garden City
*23rd May 2008: Village College, Swavesey

Past Productions

*1995: Our Day Out by Willy Russell, "presented in the company's studio"
*1996: Find Me by Olwyn Wymark, "presented in the company's studio"
*1997: A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, "presented open air in the grounds"
*1998: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, "presented open air in the grounds"
*1999: Blood Brothers by Willy Russell, "presented in the company's studio"
*2000: Murder in the Red Barn by John Latimer, "presented in the company's studio"
*2001: Hard to Swallow by Mark Wheeler, "presented in the company's studio"
*2002: Dash Through the Decades, "self-devised and presented in the company's studio"
*2003: Sylvia Plath: A Dramatic Portrait, "self-devised and presented in the company's studio"
*2004: Teechers by John Godber, "presented in the company's studio"
*2005: Missing: Dan Nolan by Mark Wheeler, "presented in the company's studio and toured to theatres"
*2006: Murder in the Red Barn by John Latimer, "presented in the company's main hall and toured to theatres"
*2007: Totally Over You by Mark Ravenhill, "presented in the company's main hall and toured to theatres"
*2008: Ruckus in the Garden by David Farr, "presented in the company's main hall and toured to theatres"

Awards

The company has won many awards for its work, most notably:

* Ball England Cup awarded for most imaginative and effective use of the stage for "Ruckus in the Garden" at the Welwyn Garden City Youth Drama Festival 2008
* 3rd Place for "Ruckus in the Garden" at the Welwyn Garden City Youth Drama Festival 2008
* 3rd Place for "Ruckus in the Garden" at the Sawston Drama Festival 2008
* Best Stage Design for "Ruckus in the Garden" at the Sawston Drama Festival 2008
* Adjudicator's Award for the moment in "Ruckus in the Garden" when Maisy ("Ellis Cooper") kisses Rock ("Greg Jordan") at Sawston Drama Festival 2008
* Best Youth Performer for Elspeth Hunt as "Tamsin" at the Sawston Drama Festival 2008
* 3rd Place for "Totally Over You" at the Welwyn Garden City Youth Drama Festival 2007
* Best Youth Performer for Sean Abbs as "Victor" at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2007
* Winners (1st place) for "Totally Over You" at the Sawston Drama Festival 2007
* Senior Winners (1st place) for "Murder in the Red Barn" at the Welwyn Garden City Youth Drama Festival 2006
* Best Sound for "Murder in the Red Barn" at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2006
* Best Youth Production for "Missing: Dan Nolan" at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2005
* Best Youth Performer for Bryn Thomas as "Dan Nolan" at the Bedford Drama Festival 2005
* Best Cameo for Kate Summers as "Sarah" at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2005

Nominations

* Five nominations for Best Youth Performer at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2008
* Best Lighting at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2008
* Best Stage Presentation at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2008
* Best Junior Performance at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2007
* Best Junior Performance at the Sawston Drama Festival 2007
* Adjudicator's Award for the moment in "Totally Over You" when Kitty ("Steph Taylor") and Jake ("Bryn Thomas") kiss Victor ("Sean Abbs") at Sawston Drama Festival 2007
* Best Youth Performer for Kate Summers as "Maria Marten" at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2006
* Best Youth Performer for Sean Abbs as "William Corder" at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2006
* Best Cameo for Elena Siriani as "Ishmael" at the Cambridge Drama Festival 2006
* Adjudicator's Award for the "Murder in the Red Barn" opening sequence at Haverhill Drama Festival 2006

Drama Festivals

The company usually performs each production four or five times; in drama festivals at local theatres and in Swavesey Village College itself, either in the main auditorium or the more intimate setting of the drama studio. It is a regular competitor at:

* Cambridge Drama Festival (Mumford Theatre)
* Welwyn Garden City Youth Drama Festival (Barn Theatre)
* Bedford Drama Festival (Haynes Village Hall)
* Haverhill Drama Festival (Haverhill Arts Centre)
* Sawston Drama Festival (Sawston Youth Centre)
* Welwyn Drama Festival (Campus West Theatre)

External links

* [http://www.swaveseyvc.co.uk Swavesey Village College]
* [http://www.wgcydf.org Welwyn Garden City Youth Drama Festival]
* [http://www.bedsamdram.org Bedford Drama Festival]
* [http://www.bawds.org/cambfest06.htm Cambridge Drama Festival]
* [http://www.bawds.org/sawstfest.htm Sawston Drama Festival]