The Laramie Project - 10 Years Later

Directed by Kristen Twynam-Perkins. Helena College Performing Arts Centre.

A very challenging text for Year 12 Performers, The Laramie Project - 10 Years Later, was superbly performed by Helena College's Year 12 Drama Class, in a very mature and cleverly staged production.

Director Kristen Twynam-Perkins has coached her young charges well and they performed with a sophistication and understanding that belies their youth - and it is easy to forget that these young performers are only 16 or 17 years of age.

As a class project, as may be expected, there were varying levels of experience and performance ability, but all the young actors were  in the moment, all appeared to be 100% committed and their stage skills and command of the stage was consistently sound.

Particularly memorable for me were the very strong performances of Molly Earnshaw, Annika Moses and Georgina Taylor. Farran Dixon stood out as writer Moises Kaufman. This was a cast with much strength.

Staged in the round, this was a wonderful choice for the verbatim style text, and an excellent way to expose both performers and student audiences to a less frequently employed theatrical configuration.

There is some fabulous work coming out of this tiny school's drama department. Congratulations to Kristen Twynam-Perkins and all at Helena College.

Kimberley Shaw