This year’s Speech and Drama Festival was held from 27 June to 15 July. It showcased over 8000 children from
many cities including Gweru, Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Masvingo, Mutare Chinhoyi and Harare. Midlands Christian College and School, the National Ballet, Prince Edward School and the Harare International School, hosted the Festival. The International School also hosted the Final Concert on 16 July.
rose, mime, Shakespeare, acting, movement and plays. The highlight for many were the Improvisation and Choral Speaking classes, when choirs of up to 50 children each perform amusing and beautiful poetry, with some dramatic flair and much originality. Children can perform alone, in a duo partnership or in small to large groups. Some highlights included the Recitals, where a series of poems, acting and other skills combine to perform on a set title. The News-reading and plays were equally enjoyable, mainly because of the original writing of the former, and the large numbers of children enjoying themselves in the latter.
This year’s acclaimed international adjudicators, both of whom grew up in Zimbabwe, were Erica Schofield, last here to adjudicate in 2013, and theatre academic and practitioner Dr Michael Pearce, who last came in 2008.
On 1 July the Festival opened at the National Ballet with Dance, adjudicated by wellknown Zimbabwean dancers, dance instructors and choreographers, Debbie Fleming, Soukania Marie-Laure Edom and Yeukai Zinyoro Chandiposa. This year there was an increase in the number of entries and quality of the performances, which ranged across the spectrum of dance genres; traditional, mixed genre, hip hop, contemporary and jazz, with a range of solo, duo and group performances.
This year’s Speech and Drama Festival was held from 27 June to 15 July. It showcased over 8000 children from many cities including Gweru, Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Masvingo, Mutare Chinhoyi and Harare. Midlands Christian College and School, the National Ballet, Prince Edward School and the Harare International School, hosted the Festival. The International School also hosted the Final Concert on 16 July.
The children in the Festival range from Grade 0 to Upper 6, performing works, many learnt off by heart, in poetry, prose, mime, Shakespeare, acting, movement and plays. The highlight for many were the Improvisation and Choral Speaking classes, when choirs of up to 50 children each perform amusing and beautiful poetry, with some dramatic flair and much originality. Children can perform alone, in a duo partnership or in small to large groups. Some highlights included the Recitals, where a series of poems, acting and other skills combine to perform on a set title. The News-reading and plays were equally enjoyable, mainly because of the original writing of the former, and the large