BTI emerges as Drama Festival champion

The Barrouallie Technical Institute (BTI) last Thursday foiled a hat trick attempt by the St Vincent Girls High School (GHS) by emerging as the 2015 Secondary School Drama Festival champion.

The BTI took home the awards for best costumes, best make-up, best supporting actress Ashekah Hutchins and dramatist of the festival Shanell Gibson, who played Granny Ivy McTier in the play.{{more}}

Their original production, ‘In Quest of My Father’, which was directed by Garfield Charles, began with two young women discussing issues in St Vincent and the Grenadines, when April (Ashekah Hutchins) revealed that she was trying to find her father, whose identity had been kept secret from her.

During the play she repeatedly asked her mother and grandmother who was her father, but this resulted in two different stories, which were revealed to be untrue.

As the play came to an end, a mentally ill man appeared, delivering a letter to April. This letter stated that her father would return to her soon and was signed by him. April, now excited, hopped across the stage in joy.

However, this excitement was cut short when it was revealed that the mentally ill man was indeed her father and because of an accident years ago, this fact had been hidden from her, closing the curtains on the play. This resulted in cheers and applause from the crowd.

Placing second in the festival was the GHS, with their production ‘Duelling Voices,’ which won them the best director award. The focus of this play was a taboo relationship between a student and a teacher.

The St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown placed third with their play ‘Mal Palé,’ which won the award for best original play in the festival. ‘Mal Palé’ was focused on persons being two-faced and deceitful, while pretending to be courteous.

The festival saw eight secondary schools participating this year, six of which received awards. (AS)