Lower Sixth students win three awards at French Drama Festival

Lower Sixth Tonbridge students won a total of three awards after participating in the very first Festival Francophone de Théâtre, held at Charterhouse School.

The boys performed extracts from Jean-Michel Ribes’ 2004 play Musée Haut, Musée Bas, which sees a series of eccentric characters, visitors and staff alike, wandering through a museum and discussing art seriously, absurdly or confusedly.

In the opening monologue, Sam Edwards (PS4) played a guide introducing visitors to a building that has no perspective, for which he was awarded the Best French award.

This was followed by a scene between Tom Horrell (OH4) and Giles Oliver (SH4), playing a father worried about the impact a temporary exhibition on Modigliani might have on his beloved children and a fed-up cashier who tries to speed up the process.

The performance ended with Sam Collins (FH4), as the museum’s curator, expressing his fear and anger at the thought of nature taking over art, a role for which he received the Best Supporting Role award.

The whole performance was awarded Best Play at the end of the evening, with the students receiving praise from teachers and peers about their acting and linguistic skills, and for bringing a sense of fun to their performances on stage.

Jean-Patrick Vieu, French Teacher, said: “Whether proven thespians or complete novices, tackling French through stage performance is a great way for the boys to develop confidence in their speaking skills while learning about the wider culture. It was inspiring to see their commitment to the material and how much fun they derived from the experience.”