Act One Drama Society is the largest Drama society in Cardiff, putting on several productions a year of all genres.
Gair Rhydds’ Spotlight team was graciously invited to ‘Shrek - The Panto’s’ opening night at Pulse Nightclub. This will be Act One’s first performance this academic year.
After a tough upbringing as an orphan, Shrek chooses a quiet life by himself. His world turns upside down when people start turning up and living on his farm due to the evil, power-hungry councillor, Farquhard, who kicked the people out of Newport. Farquhard promises that if Shrek and his new friend collect his new wife, Fanny, he will remove everyone from his bog. Unfortunately, the sexual tension between Shrek and Fanny cannot be ignored before Farquhard's big wedding...
The cast of “Shrek - The Panto” delivered outstanding performances, bringing to life a cast of unique characters the audience loved and rooted for. Special mention must go to Joshua Salisbury, who played Farquhard as embodying the true pantomime villain with impeccable comedic timing and improv ability. Everyone who performed exhibited such high showmanship and should all be incredibly proud of themselves.
Contemporary humour with references to Tinder, Elf Bars and Newport made the evening engaging for the entire audience and filled the room with laughter. Audience participation was rife throughout the evening and the actor's ability to take that and turn it into a comedic opportunity should be commended.
Ben Lewis, the director, did a fabulous job of bringing the play to life and creating a script that combined traditional pantomime elements and incorporating banterous moments that captured the spirit of the Act One Society.
All profits raised will be split and donated to Make A Smile and UCAN Productions to support their incredible work nationwide.
Thanks to the Act One Society for the gracious invite and for putting on a spectacular performance.