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Posted: Monday 12 September, 2011
On Sunday 11th September, Next Stage Theatre Company celebrated the talent and enthusiasm of its Youth members when Ann Garner, Artistic Director of the Company, presented The Bridget Cassé Award for Excellence in Youth Theatre.
The Award was established in 2010 by Next Stage actor Alan Cassé to commemorate the work of his wife Bridget who, as well as being a talented actor herself, was heavily involved with the Youth company as a tutor, language coach and mentor until she died in March last year.
A shortlist of 14 Youth members were nominated for The Bridget Cassé Award for Excellence in Youth Theatre. The list was proposed by the current adult tutors who have worked with NSY throughout the year, preparing entries for the Mid-Somerset Drama Festival and the production of Dracula Spectacula.
This year’s winner, and the second recipient of the Award, was Anna-Fleur Rawlinson. Anna-Fleur has been a member of Next Stage Youth since she was 10 years old and has remained with the company for 8 years. In that time she has flourished into an incredibly talented actress as well as one of the most thoughtful and dedicated members of the Youth company.
As well as taking leading roles in Youth productions such as Daisy Pulls It Off, Anna-Fleur has also performed with the adult Next Stage company in His Dark Materials (2007), Kindertransport (2009) and Amadeus (2009).
Anna-Fleur has toured three times with Next Stage to The Minack Theatre in Cornwall, most recently as Sandy in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Anna-Fleur is leaving Next Stage Youth to take up her place at Manchester University reading Drama, where she will surely vindicate the Arts Editor of the Bath Chronicle - Christopher Hansford - who wrote of Anna-Fleur this Summer: “she will be a big name of the future”.
Runner Up was Joe Quintana, who has been a member of the Youth company since 2009 and has twice been nominated for the Bridget Cassé Award. Joe has taken leading roles in Sparkleshark, Daisy Pulls it Off and Dracula Spectacula, and is about to play Eddie in the October production of Blood Brothers. Joe is a very talented actor and a dedicated member of the team, always attending rehearsals with a positive and helpful attitude.
In third place for the trophy and Highly Commended was Lauren Stewart, who has delighted everyone at NSY since she joined in 2009 with her friendly and welcoming disposition and some fantastic performances in Living With Lady Macbeth and Dracula Spectacula.
Artistic Director Ann Garner said after the ceremony: “It is always a privilege on a Sunday to look around the theatre and take in the energy and talent that abounds in Next Stage Youth. It is never easy to single out just one person from a group of 60 committed and dedicated young people, any one of whom would be worthy of recognition. However, Anna-Fleur has been such a popular, friendly and inspirational member of the company that everybody who attended the Bridget Cassé Award ceremony on Sunday was delighted that she was this year’s winner. We all wish her every success in her future endeavours.”
Next Stage Youth provides training in theatre and performance skills for 11-18 year olds. Now in its 17th year, Next Stage Youth has reached its full capacity of members with 60 youngsters enrolling in the Autumn term. Anyone wishing to join NSY in January 2012 should contact Ann Garner at the Mission Theatre on 01225 428600 to put their name on the waiting list.
Next Stage Youth is working on two productions this Autumn. Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is being performed by the older Youth members 25-29 October 2011, and the younger members are producing the National Theatre’s version of The Wind in the Willows, adapted by Alan Bennett, 6-10 December.
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