ONE of the most prestigious events in the Mid Somerset Festival calendar, Bath Young Actor, took place on Friday 13th October at Bath University’s The Edge. Six young performers, chosen for their outstanding work during the 2017 Mid Somerset Festival, competed for the title. Participants were challenged to display a mastery of several genres of dramatic performance, building a rapport with the delighted audience during virtuoso solo recitals on a theme.
Junior: Izzy Lane, Atticus Lorenzo – winner, Dotty Hodge
Senior: Jamie Wigley, Olivia Anniss – winner, Julian ShirniaDotty Hodge, Atticus Lorenzo and Izzy Lane in the Junior category and Jamie Wigley, Julian Shirnia and Olivia Annis in the Senior category were all more than worthy of the trophy. At the end of the evening the adjudicators, Jonathon Owen and Jenny Thornton, chose Atticus as Junior Bath Young Actor for his thoroughly entertaining exploration of the personification of animals in literature, and Olivia as Bath Young Actor for her exceptionally accomplished interpretations of Shakespeare, Dickens and contemporary drama.
Guests of honour at the event, sponsored by Kingswood Prep School, included Wera Hobhouse MP and Cherry Beath, Chair of the Council, who both presented the prizes to the winners. Mid Somerset Festival Chair, Lynne Barnes, thanked the families of the young people involved for their support and encouragement.
The Mid Somerset Festival would like to thank Kingswood Preparatory School for its continued sponsorship of this event.