Pewsey Vale Youth Theatre
triumph in the Five Counties Youth Drama Finals
Continued from 'Whats New'
'Usher' is an out and out visual and psychological horror story which
is a very unusual genre for stage presentations. This production used imaginative
lighting, innovative set design, haunting eerie music and supremely scary
performances to portray Poe's classic tale in a really professional manner.
Nettie Powell, the director, explains that this adaptation by Steven Schutzman
is very true to the original play but uses the spirits of the Usher family,
who are trapped in the stones of the House of Usher and intend to eliminate
the remaining 2 family members by fear, to build up the menace and tension
in the script.
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The ensemble of six 'Stones' or spirits were indeed a highlight of the production - from their very first entrance through the audience, lit only by head lights shining onto their faces - creating a mask-like effect, they invaded the whole auditorium with their menacing presence. Once they were in place behind the 'walls' they physically enticed first Madeline and then Roderick into their world of mental torture by reaching through the lycra walls to entrap their victims.
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All the cast gave incredible
performances, special congratulations must go to Ben Bateman who portrayed
the stiff upper class English gentleman to perfection - his clipped diction,
and ability to eek out both comedy and pathos from his role shows him to
be a very promising performer for the future. Kate Powell, a stalwart of
both youth and adult plays, played Madeline, who is already close to death
and possessed by the spirits, with unnerving but convincing clarity. Jess
Johnson managed to make a comic and menacing role out of a particularly
innocuous peasant. But the main achievement was that the whole cast worked
together as a team - carrying each other through any glitches, which shows
a magnificent professionalism and confidence in their dramatic abilities.
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Special mention also for Rob Bottoms for the mood lighting which added to the overall haunted effect, Nettie Powell for the set design and music and Jonathon Barley and Martin Clifton for their constant help. Nearly all of the cast have become involved with PVADS Youth Theatre, revived by Nettie 5 years ago, through the annual Drama Week at the Bouverie Hall during the summer holidays.
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PVADS Youth Theatre have
won the Harold Joliffe Festival for 4 consecutive years along with several
best actor and technical awards for A Dog's Life, Time and Rosemary, Two
Women and a Chair and Fall of the House of Usher, all directed by Nettie
Powell, but this is the first success in the finals.
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