Adjudicator’s comments : This has been an excellent night! The theme for the festival is ‘Celebration’ – the pleasure of doing and watching drama – and an important part of this is the rehearsal stage, putting the play together to delight the audience.  Well, we were delighted tonight!

I very seldom see children as young as P3-5 on stage, and I’ve never seen them engaged and entertaining us to such a level.  The music was terrific, the movement great, the noises wonderful.  The movement was very modern – often with a box set children just stay within it, but these animals were everywhere! Up and down the auditorium – great fun.  They had the confidence and the competence to engage with you, me, each other.  Everyone was in role for the whole play – the farmer trying to keep control – what a beard! Do you think if I worked at it I could grow one like that? The cats – they’re going to be a problem when they’re older – niggling at each other like that! The ponies eating away, the pig shuffling about, the cows, the sheep nudging each other up at the back, the dog with his bone, all the excitable hens and the ducks with their flippers, the laid back fox, the sneaky rat – everyone was excellent.

The play was ideal to engage, stretch and challenge these young actors.  I was delighted to see it was also part of a project to keep the Shetland dialect alive and vibrant. Well done Aith Junior High School – please put your hands together for these talented young actors.                      

A big thank you to our producer and script writer – Marsali Taylor and also to Izzy Swanson for all her help

Muckle thanks also to our very talented face painters – Elizabeth Atia and Lynn Ritch, much appreciated!

* For a copy of the performance on DVD, please contact the AJHS school office 807 400  (£5)