London Student Drama Festival continues to showcase fresh and young talent

King's College London and London School of Economics lead the way at the final

The team from LSE, pictured, impress the judges in Scott Hunter's 'Convenience' (London Student Drama Festival/Facebook)

Student Central - formerly University of London Union - this month saw the opening performances of this year’s London Student Drama Festival (LSDF), giving aspiring students the chance to write, direct, produce, and perform original scripts in front of an esteemed panel of judges.

This year, the LSDF saw representations from institutions including UCL, King’s College London, LSE, and Goldsmiths. After a competitive two days of performances, the judges selected King’s ‘Meritocracy’, Royal Holloway’s ‘What Comes Next?’, Queen Mary’s ‘Jellyfish’, and LSE’s ‘Convenience’ as the top four shows to progress onto the final.

The productions tackled a variety of subjects, some of which included the pressures facing students and academics alike, the blurs between reality and fantasy, and even the question of life after death. Among the student actors, KCL’s Afsana Sayyed was lauded for her role in ‘Meritocracy’, while LSE’s student writer, Scott Hunter, crafted one of the most quick-witted scripts of the festival with his play about the amusing tactics of two devoted salesmen.

In an intense final battle, a panel of guest judges were given the task of delegating the concluding awards. Andrew Marks and Alex Morris from KCL were awarded ‘Best Writing’, winning a meeting with multi-award-winning playwright Simon Stephens. Nikhil Parmar from LSE took home ‘Best Individual Performance’, bagging a £150 headshot session in the process, while Emily Collins and Reece Connolly from Queen Mary both claimed ‘Best Design’, winning a meeting with the designer of Pins and Needles Productions.

A final ‘Special Mention’ prize was awarded to Andrew Marks for his direction of 'Meritocracy’, with the reward of two tickets to see the award-winning Kink’s musical, Sunny Afternoon.

At a time in which the arts scene is said to be facing financial challenges, the LSDF successfully managed to reveal incredible student potential, highlighting the importance of keeping the arts alive and thriving.

On the whole, the enthusiasm displayed by both students and organisers alike is something to be admired with the continuation of the festival in years to come.

One of prize sponsors, Simon Stephens, praised the LSDF, describing how he was “inspired” by its rich potential. He added: “As writers, we stand on one another’s shoulders.

“I can’t wait to meet the next participants in this bewildering, endlessly shifting, inspiring human pyramid. They will certainly teach me more than they learn.”