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Performing Arts students are holding a winter festival this week, aimed at showcasing their skills ahead of the Christmas break.
The shows range from a monologue competition to a jazz evening, with students ranging from those who are new to the college to those in the final year of their degrees.
“The students and staff have worked really hard on these shows, so we hope the festival has something for everyone,” said Jamie Roberts, Head of Performing Arts, Health and Social Care and Early Years.
“We treat our students as professional performers working in real theatre companies, and they work towards real shows on tight timeframes, because that helps them prepare for their careers.
“We have high expectations of our students, because we know that gets them ready for working as professional performers, but we also offer them a lot of specialist tuition, visits and support.”
On Friday last week (November 30) the first-year HND students performed The Gigantic Beard that was Evil, and the second-year HND students performed James and the Giant Peach on Monday.
On Tuesday the first-year Level 3 students performed 12 Weeks Later, a skills showcase of what they’ve learnt in their first term at the college.
Wednesday was the Monologue Slam, in which students from across the department competed to win a prize in front of an audience that also included agents.
HND student Adam Murphy, who studied his Level 2 and 3 at Nescot, was crowned the overall winner.
The festival closes tomorrow, with a night of jazz performances accompanied by food and drink.
All the shows were held in Nescot’s own theatre, with funds raised from one show going to support a charitable cause, and money from the rest going towards future departmental productions.
“The standard of the shows has been very high, and the audiences have been visibly impressed,” said Kathryn Stephen, Director of Creative Industries at Nescot.
“It’s amazing to see how much the new students learn in their very first term at the college, but I also enjoy watching how the students grow and progress during their qualifications as a whole.”
Nescot’s offers a range of courses, all awarded by University of the Arts London, and the students work as professional theatre companies.
Forge Theatre is the Level 2 and 3 group, while students working towards university-level qualifications in Collaborative Theatre or Technical and Production Practice form Nexus Ensemble.
Shows from both companies planned for spring and summer include Cabaret, RENT and Macbeth, as well as performances devised by the students themselves.