The Drama Cuppers is an annual, university-wide competition held for freshers interested in drama, where teams of 8 put on a 30 minute production at the Burton Taylor Studio. I have been involved in minor productions back at home, usually as an ensemble member and decided that this would be a good opportunity to give directing a go.It was also a great time to bond with my new friends who were all, like me, interested in acting and performance.
Our group put on a version of Ella Hickson’s Eight. This is a series of monologues telling the lives of each character, through which the problems of modern society are spotlighted. In our production, we spent a lot of time cutting parts of the monologues out – as we could only have a 30 minute performance – and then intertwined each monologue with others. This created a fragmented perspective on the thought provoking characters at play. Together with Oli, our techie, and the whole cast, we were able to sell out the Burton Taylor for not one, but two, performances, as we were asked to perform again in the ‘Best of Cuppers Showcase’.
The experience ended with a trip to The Mitre for the annual cuppers award presentation night. We sat, as a team, on the top floor of the pub, alongside the other Brasenose Cuppers Team that had put on a hilarious performance of ‘Macbevved’ (a drunk Macbeth). Between the two Brasenose teams we were lucky enough to win lots of awards, including Best Director, Best Choreographed Dance and Cuppers Spirit. A special mention has to go to Chloe Wall, however, for winning Best Actress for her performance in Eight, proving how talent, hard work and a lot of fun with friends can ultimately pay off!
Overall, Cuppers was not only an amazing experience to help form bonds with those who enjoy the same things as I do, but a great insight into how the world of drama at Oxford works. It has without a doubt encouraged each of us involved to broaden our theatre experience while at university, by giving us a taste of the behind the scenes work involved and a glimpse at the success that can be achieved!
By Jess Ward (English First Year)