New entrants in the gala fete as schools Drama Festival curtains close

Kibabii DTTC students and staff celebrate after winning over 20 trophies in the 2017 National Drama Festival at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu. [George Orido/Standard]

The 58th edition of the annual Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival comes to a close with the second day of gala performances and winners in a colourful ceremony to be presided over by Education PS Dr Belio Kipsang.

The teams in the gala this year at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu is a mix of perennial winners and new comers, an indication that the festival has become so competitive that no one would envy the team of adjudicates led by Dr Christopher Odhiambo of Moi University.

Saturday, Golden Elites from Kisumu made it back to the table of giants when they presented an oral narrative, Auma – a journey through the tricky mishaps of socialisation that young people go through as they are shaped to behave in predetermined and acceptable ways.

Kibabii Diploma Teachers Training College from Bungoma buttressed their presence at the national stage when they appeared with two items at the gala.

Their play The Pendulum produced the Best Actor (Ahmed Ali) and the Best Actress (Millicent Gitau) as it also scooped the best production as well as the best script.

Shikunga Secondary School from Western Region beat St Marys' Lwak Girls and went head to head with such greats as Kakamega High School who came with Wahonga Hena.

Lwak Girls performed Work in Progress, a solo verse on development, and was such a consolation to Sr Anasticia team whose audience expectations were soaring, given their surprise style that catapulted them to the top of the creative dance in Meru last year.

After performing to a near empty hall last Tuesday morning as the first item on stage at 8am, Menegai High School found a keen ear in the adjudicators and are in the gala performing with Rose, the Fall and Rise.

Other teams in the gala include Buruburu Girls, Lingawa ECD, St Anthony Webuye, Kericho Primary, Nakuru Lions Primary with their play Mails to Heaven by Lilian Madigo.

Nakuru Lions Primary has taken the play trophy for the last six years in a row – would they stop the winning this time?