Following three local students attending the recent State Drama Camp and a playbill of headlining performances for the recent Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) showcase, drama students Lachlan Martin, Tom Macansh and Bethany Cresnik have stolen the limelight achieving selection for the coming State Drama Ensemble performance at the NSW Public Schools State Drama Festival, to be held at the Seymour Centre in Sydney later this year.

“It’s an amazing opportunity and really quite phenomenal,” GIHS drama teacher Genevieve Byrne said.

Ranking their talents alongside students from larger metropolitan and dedicated drama schools across the state, Beth, Lachlan and Tom rolled scrutineers with their audition performances to join only one other state school to achieve selection for more than one student.

Taking in monologue auditions for students in years 9 to 11, the young board treaders selected a short monologue and uploaded their respective performances to YouTube where they underwent close industry criticism to be selected among 20 fellow drama students from across the state to attend the state drama ensemble rehearsals in Sydney during the September school holidays.

Performing a drama and comedy respectively, Year 9 students Lachlan and Tom were among only four Year 9 students to be selected state-wide.

While Tom took on a disgruntled shopkeeper’s tirade, reminiscent of the characters made famous by John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers, in a piece titled Burgundy, Lachlan took up the challenge of a thought-provoking young outsider struggling to make sense of his identity. 

With guidance and recommendation from Ms Byrne the local students produced equally gritty and hilarious pieces that earned them a spot among the top theatrical students in NSW.

Throwing elements of comedy and drama together in a melting-pot monologue titled I Ate the Divorce Papers, Year 11 student Beth Cresnik took on a darkly comedic role as the wisecracking wife of a husband determined to finalise his divorce.

“I feel really comfortable playing psychopathic passive-aggressive women,” she quipped.

While all three of the school’s top performers admitted the pressure was on to perform at such a demanding level, the young players said they are looking forward to taking their performances to the heart of the state’s theatre community in October.

Performing at Sydney’s Seymour Centre in October, Beth, Tom and Lachlan said they will be taking their best into rehearsals in September and hinted that the state drama festival could be a stepping stone to a career interest in the arts.