Students showcase talent as drama season kicks off
Multiple Academy Kagio pupils with their trainer, Albert Murimi, celebrate after winning in the oral narrative category during the Kirinyaga County Primary Schools Drama Festival at Multiple Academy hall on March 9, 2017. PHOTO | ANTHONY NJAGI
What you need to know:
- State House Girls’ modern dance earned the highest marks in the festival, followed by St Georges and Kenya High. St Georges won in the cultural dance.
- The piece, titled Wololo, was produced by Grace Tom, the school’s principal. It satirises political leaders, who are portrayed as greedy and hell-bent on spending community resources on the themselves.
- St Georges Girls High School presented a Kiswahili play that qualified for the Nairobi regional drama festival. The play, Kafsha ya Hafsa, features Sheryl Maggie, the main character, and Shirleen Kiliomo. It was produced by Lucy Rukunga, the school’s principal.
The annual Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival is with us again. The annual show showcases artistic talent by students across the country.
Over the years, it has produced many actors who have moved on into professional acting. The festival features oral narratives, plays, cultural dances, modern dances, solo, choral verses and film productions.
The Nairobi County regional festival will be held from March 13 to 17 at Lenana School. The winners will proceed to the national drama festival that will be held at Kisumu Lions High School in Kisumu County on April 3.
Nairobi’s Westlands zone, which is arguably the most competitive in the country, staged their pieces at State House Girls High School. The event featured pieces from seasoned drama veterans such as Kenya High School, Nairobi School, Highridge Girls, St Georges Girls, State House Girls, Aga Khan High School, Kangemi, Parkland Arya, Karura SDA, Hospital Hill, Makini and Lavington, among other giants.
One such talent performance that captured the minds of the adjudicators is an oral narrative by Highridge Girls, performed by narrator Velary Jaoko. The piece, titled Wololo, was produced by Grace Tom, the school’s principal. It satirises political leaders, who are portrayed as greedy and hell-bent on spending community resources on the themselves.
Some of the vices in the narrative include unnecessary trips abroad, nepotism and splashing public funds on excessive entertainment. In the oral narrative, State House Girls topped followed by Highridge Girls and Parklands Arya Girls. Another talented artist who came through in the festival was Nairobi School’s Julius Obiero, who was named the event’s best performing artist.
GOOD ACTING
Obiero played the role of the executioner in a play titled Delicate Matter. Obiero, who is former student at Golden Elite School of Kisumu, was one of the best actors in the primary school category at the regional and national level.
Obiero also presented an oral narrative that finished fourth. Good acting in the same play was also seen from Simon Muhia, who acted as the chief priest and was named best actor for the role, as well as Joshua Baha, who acted as a prince who is sold to slavery in order to derail his dreams of taking over from his father.
The king of the Southern Kingdom sells the golden stool, the symbol of power, to traders from the Northern Kingdom. He also sells his son to the same traders to curtail his growing popularity. The result is untold calamities to the Southerners. It is until what he thought was a well-kept secret is revealed that the gods are appeased. When the stool and the son are returned, it rains, signifying the end of a long drought and other calamities. The script was written by Claus Obuba.
St Georges Girls High School presented a Kiswahili play that qualified for the Nairobi regional drama festival. The play, Kafsha ya Hafsa, features Sheryl Maggie, the main character, and Shirleen Kiliomo. It was produced by Lucy Rukunga, the school’s principal.
Parlands Arya Girls staged the winning comedy about a student and her colleagues at a school. The comedian is confused by the different subjects offered in school and wonders whether she needs to cram all of them.
State House Girls’ modern dance earned the highest marks in the festival, followed by St Georges and Kenya High. St Georges won in the cultural dance.
The festival was adjudicated by Dr Kiminjichi Wabende of the University of Nairobi, Josephine Nyagechi of Nairobi Technical College and Henginton Ochieng, who is the deputy head-teacher of Westlands Primary School and also the national chairman of NADWA, the National Drama Festival Welfare Association.
In Machakos County, Matuu Memorial High school won in the play category and qualified for the Eastern Region Drama festival which starts today at Muthambi Girls high school. They will meet with winners from Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Meru, Kitui, Isiolo and Samburu counties.
Kathiani Boys and Baptist Machakos also qualified for the regional in the play category.
