Last week North Kent College’s Performing Arts department hosted the annual KAFEC inter-college competition for the first time at the acclaimed Miskin Theatre. North Kent College were thrilled to announce they won each category including; dance, acting and singing. Canterbury College and Mid-Kent College also entered the competition. The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Dartford attended too, and a panel of special guest external judges who are industry professionals judged the show.
The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Dartford John and Eija Burrell commented, “what an excellent evening it was! The standard of acts was high, and some of the singing in particular, sounded almost professional! An evening that everyone should have been proud of, not only the performers but also their tutors-: one of the entertainment highlights of our year!” North Kent College were delighted to welcome such recognised figures and were extremely proud to have won the whole competition. Students won trophies, certificates and some fabulous shopping vouchers!
Kieren Manning, an acting student, who performed on the night commented, “Each of our entrants gave strong performances in acting, dancing and singing and I was proud to be part of the competition. It was a clear demonstration of how far each and every one of us have come in the years of training that we have had at this facility”.
Benjamin Newsome, a casting director who specialises in Theatre, TV and film casting for the West End, UK and International tours and regional productions remarked about the event, “I really enjoyed seeing performances from the three institutions in Kent. Safe to say Miskin smashed it on the evening, showcasing themselves in a professional and talented manner”. The students worked incredibly hard rehearsing for the annual event and showed great team spirit towards the other Kent Colleges.
It was a great success for both the Miskin Theatre and North Kent College and wonderful to have worked with the other Kent Colleges, with such great sportsmanhip shown from all involved.
Jay Le Marrec, the dance winner who performed on the night stated, “the KAFEC competition was a great experience for not only myself but also the company members on the dance course. I feel that it was a great achievement for not only the dance course but for Miskin Theatre as a whole and shows us how far we have come with all the time and training we have put in”.
Lindsey O’Malley-Flack- Assistant Principal, Arts and Creative Industries exuded with pride as she commented, “The KAFEC competition was a great experience for not only the performers of Miskin Theatre, at North Kent College, but for all performers that participated. It was a great night of entertainment, and I’m personally proud of each and every performer and staff member from Miskin that contributed to making it a huge success”. NKC are excited and looking forward to entering the competition again next year.
Friendly competitions such as this demonstrate how much talent oozes within the Kent County.