Palmer kicked off the evening with their ingeniously crafted piece, ‘Breaking Barriers’, which reminded us all of the importance of equal opportunities for all and helped us to appreciate the huge advancements made in women’s education over the previous years. Addressing the themes of education, inequality, patriarchy and corruption, Palmer portrayed the story of an 18 year old woman, chosen to be the first female candidate to trial secondary education. Amidst the schemes of a corrupt government and her own sense of perfectionism, this emotional and uplifting performance, featuring a split-screen effect and compelling scene transitions, moved the audience to tears and reminded us all not to take our human right to education for granted. This performance left us with the important message “Knowledge is a privilege, not a right” and in a world where there is still much education inequality we must “Raise our voice and make a choice”.

Following Palmer, Cedars presented their legendary piece ‘Calling All Dragonslayers’. This narrative explored the journey of the seemingly perfect candidate, Prince Jasper, chosen by the Magic Council to vanquish a menacing dragon terrorising the kingdom. Departing from the traditional lone hero archetype, Cedars showcased a collaborative effort involving multiple characters including a teenage girl, Iris and two highwaymen, devising a plan to defeat the dragon. This action-packed performance came to an end with the protagonist Prince Jasper recognising the importance of teamwork. The seamless transitions, dynamic lighting, stellar performance of the main characters, and the dramatic appearance of a dragon, all had the audience gripping to the edge of their seats until the end.

Concluding the evening was Sidmouth’s captivating performance of ‘The Interview’. It delved into the terrifying notion of social media platforms “holding the key to all digital lives”. This took an insightful peek into digital crime and data mining through search engines going on behind the front of the social media platform, MyPlace. Centred around candidate Sophie Clark applying for a Media Manager position at MyPlace, the story revealed the company's deceptive practices regarding data privacy. Sophie's journey from unwitting applicant to undercover investigator highlighted the importance of transparency and privacy protection. The expertly crafted tension kept the audience engaged throughout.

Choosing a winner for the evening was surely an extremely difficult process for our adjudicator, with the outstanding interpretations of the theme ‘The Candidate’ by our 3 houses. All houses were commended on the impact and quality of their dramatic pieces, but the results were as follows:

3. Sidmouth

2. Palmer

1. Cedars

Congratulations to all participants, including the main cast, ensemble, and technical crew for their hard work in delivering such exceptional performances. It was great to see students from all years coming together as one!