Drama  students  from Southwark College created a full-scale  production of  Chekov’s famous  Vaudevilles  for their end of year show this year, performing to a small, socially distanced live audience of family  and friends.  

The hour-long production, which was part of their final unit, the Extended Project, was held at the College’s own theatre and provided students an insight into the standard expected from a performer in the industry.  

Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short story writer in the 19th century. Throughout his career, he wrote a series of one act comedic plays, also known as Vaudevilles. Students at Southwark College performed four of these Vaudevilles, including The Evils of Tobacco, The Proposal, The Bear, and The Anniversary, with each play covering the themes of conflict, love and social disgrace.

Annette Cast, Principal at Southwark College, said: “Productions are always a challenge for our learners, and this has been magnified by the impacts of lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions. It is wonderful that our students finally have the opportunity to perform live as this is a key part of their development as performers. We are very proud of them for their resilience, hard work, and exceptional performance.”

D’Andrey Ramsay, Drama student at Southwark College, played Luka in The Bear. He said: “I enjoyed studying Chekhov’s work and exploring the style of farce, which I can now add to my creative repertoire. Performing to a public audience was a fun experience and it has definitely helped me develop my confidence and reaffirm my creative aspirations.”  

To find out more about future Southwark College events, and its popular creative arts courses, visit southwark.ac.uk/drama.