UoH to perform two plays in National Festival

6 March 2008

Two University of Hull plays have been selected for the prestigious National Student Drama Festival, a week-long celebration of theatre, live performance and special events, taking place in Scarborough from 15 to 21 March.

Competition was fierce with over 100 plays competing for just 12 places. To have two of these from the University of Hull is an incredible achievement.

One of the plays, Strict Machine, is a two-woman show devised by Helen Goalen and Abbi Greenland, both students at the University. Focussing on the ruthless world of business, Strict Machine is a visual show following two women who will stop at nothing to reach the top of the business world, including hurting the ones they love most. There is only one scene of dialogue in this physical show and the music accompanying the show underscores the energy and changing dynamics of the different scenes.

Also selected for the festival is Hull's performance of Fewer Emergencies, written by one of the country's most significant contemporary playwrights, Martin Crimp. The play is made up of three pieces: Whole Blue Sky, about the disintegration of a marriage; Face to the Wall, which recounts a shooting in a school; and Fewer Emergencies, an extraordinary story about how to deal with life's emergencies, both personal and political.

The success of the students' plays can be attributed to the unique and hands-on Drama degree offered at the University of Hull. The University was the first to build a theatre on campus and continues to be the only university where students have sole use of the facility. Drama students at Hull have the opportunity to develop skills in an exceptional number of areas of the drama spectrum, including sound engineering, set and costume design, as well as acting.

Adam Ledger, Lecturer in Drama and director of the University of Hull production of Fewer Emergencies, said, "The University's students have done incredibly well to have won spots for two plays in the festival. It's a tribute to the quality of students and teaching at the University's Drama department."

In addition to the student productions, over 120 workshops will be taking place during the week of the Festival. Shows and workshops will take place at the University of Hull's Scarborough Campus, the Stephen Joseph Theatre and the Spa Complex. There will also be evening events including music, comedy and improvisation.

A limited number of tickets are available for productions - please visit the National Student Drama Festival website or call Catherine McKinney on 020 7354 8070 for more details.