Coleg Sir Gâr’s performing and production arts students take ‘the curious incident of the dog in the night-time’ to the stage
Coleg Sir Gar’s performing and production arts students took to the stage last week with their performance of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ at Ffwrnes theatre.
The play, by Simon Stevens, adapted from the novel by Mark Haddon, tells the story of 15-year-old math whiz Christopher Boone, who has difficulty dealing with the sounds and stresses of everyday life. He investigates the killing of his neighbour’s dog and in doing so has an adventure of self-discovery.
To prepare for the show, the department welcomed autistic students and the ALM (additional learning needs) team at Graig to talk to the students about autism. Gaining advice about the script meant that the actors could depict Christopher and his family in a realistic way on stage.
The performing and production arts students also raised over £150 for the Neuro D club at Graig by doing a raffle during the show intervals.
Tayla Cadwell who played Christopher’s mum, Judy said: “I loved it, this was an amazing opportunity to be able to perform in a theatre.
“I fell in love with the character and started to think like her.
“I’d always thought of myself as more of a comedic and a not-so-serious actor but playing this role has really made me progress so much.
“Being able to use emotion in my acting has added another skill set for me.”
Isla Gordeen who played Mrs Shears said: “Learning the lifts to illustrate the character Christopher’s imagination really built up on-stage stamina and it was an amazing experience.”
Suneil Browes, who played Ed, Christopher’s dad said: “Ed is a very patient and caring character that does everything for his son but he also has a short fuse.
“From an acting perspective he can go from being very angry to feeling instant regret so playing him was a challenge but I approached the performance by imagining him as two different people.
“Being involved in this production has also deepened my understanding of the autistic community and the daily challenges they face.”
While the performers are on stage, in the spotlight, the backstage crew are working hard to guarantee they shine. It’s this team that ensures that all the moving pieces come together for seamless shows.
The students behind the scenes took on roles such as; stage manager, (Mia Evans) assistant stage manager, (Maya Ibboston) sound design/assistant stage manager, (Lucy Haines) and trainee deputy stage manager & props supervisor (Wybie Watkins-Conde).
For many of the cast, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was their last performance with Coleg Sir Gâr. With some level three students successfully gaining places at the following universities and drama schools for the next academic year.
Joshua De-Gruchy, East 15 studying Foundation Diploma in Acting. Max Bebb Murphy, Italia Conti studying BA Musical Theatre. Suneil Browes, Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) studying BA Acting. Heidi Press, UWTSD Trinity Carmarthen studying BA Acting. Holly Davies, Bristol School of Acting studying BA Screen Acting.
