Success for local speech and drama school pupils
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Toomas Donoghue who placed 3rd in Senior Public Speaking with proud teacher Mary Whelan Fox.Image 2 of 7
Haasini Chilukuri who was finalist in Create your Own Poem , Public Speaking and Girls Poetry.Image 3 of 7
Aine Guiry pictured who was the Overall Winner of Intermediate Public Speaking age 11 to 13.Image 4 of 7
Ruth Currid winner of Create your Own Poem with Mary Whelan Fox.Image 5 of 7
Sriniya Karthik in front of her medal winning Paint a Poem Competition.Image 6 of 7
Emily Donnelly is pictured who was the Overall Winner of Girls Poetry Age 9.Image 7 of 7
Ruth Simpson with her finalist medal for Girls Poetry.Talented students from the locally based Mary Whelan Fox School of Elocution, Speech and Drama came away with top prizes when wowing adjudicators at the Speech and Drama Teachers of Ireland Feis Finals at the Talbot Hotel in Dublin recently.
Many of those taking part placed first, second, third, commended and highly commended and all received finalist medals in the hugely competitive event. It involved poetry, solo drama acting, public speaking, prose reading, mime, creative writing and art.
Students from all over Ireland recorded themselves and submitted videos in this unique Hybrid Feis and the top 12 were selected in each category to perform live in front of adjudicators and live audiences.
MWF Communications & Presentations Drama School director and teacher Mary Whelan Fox from Athlone coordinated the event in conjunction with the Speech and Drama Teachers of Ireland. This was a mammoth task as there were over 3000 entries from 50 teachers all over the island of Ireland.
Established in Athlone in 2006 by Tipperary native Mary Whelan Fox, the school has expanded steadily over the past numbers years and now has five fully qualified teachers on her team, teaching in Athlone, Moate, Glasson and Ballinasloe.
A life member and Director of the Speech and Drama Teachers of Ireland, Mary holds Associate and Licentiate Diplomas in Drama in Education and has worked professionally in the arts sector for the past 17 years.
Although Mary was forced to close her doors in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, the dedicated teacher continued to provide support and connection throughout the pandemic via Zoom.
Taking part in the Hybrid Feis allowed students the opportunity to showcase their work to their peers, an audience and the adjudicator in an encouraging, supportive environment. Students also got the opportunity to watch other children from all over Ireland perform which brings great enjoyment and learning.
“I was so proud of all of our students who took part in the Hybrid Feis – getting to the final was an amazing achievement in itself,” said Mary.
“Honestly, there’s nothing more exciting than watching students build their confidence and going from shy, quiet caterpillars to confident butterflies - thespians on stage.”
Following a well-deserved break over Easter, then grade exams with Leinster School of Music and Drama will be next on the agenda.