Dear all,
Greetings from sunny Greenwich! Yes, London sometimes does bathe in sunshine and it is glorious. Let’s hope that this will be the case at Easter time!
Let me start with a clarification of deadlines. It has been brought to my attention that the BEO Portal states that the Drama Festival script is due on 28th February. This date is incorrect. Apologies for any confusion caused!
As per the written guidelines, as well as Post 10, the submission deadline for the drama is the same as the deadline for the song: 16th February. Please also note that the drama submission is not mandatory and late submission is not penalised. However, if you submit past the deadline we cannot guarantee we will be able to provide timely feedback.
On that note, we will only contact you if we feel that your script or song is off the brief or if there are some fundamental problems with the appropriacy of ideas or language. It is ultimately up to judges to assess both the drama and the song performance.
Finally, let me also remind you that the submission deadline for student data and campus essentials is 21st February.
If you have any further questions or concerns about submissions or competitions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
Kamila & the Oxford International team
GENERAL
Question:
Our question is related to the brief speech students give during the opening ceremony. Can this be delivered by two students?
Answer:
Yes, it can, as long as the students keep it brief.
PRESENTATION EVENTS
Question:
It is our understanding that music will be allowed to be played during the presentation. Our question is if we need to bring a personal portable speaker will another student be able to put the background music on when needed.
Answer:
No, you do not need to bring speakers. The laptop we will provide will be connected to a sound system.
CREATIVE EVENTS
Question:
I was wondering what would happen if there were small variations in the final play, since in rehearsals students might want to modify some words. Is there a penalty for that?
Answer:
No, minor changes in words and/or phrases will not be penalised as those kinds of things could also easily happen due to performance stress, etc.
Question:
I have a question regarding A Capella contest. Is it okay to use Havel’s motto “truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred” as part of the lyrics?
Answer:
Yes, the guidelines do not state otherwise so I don’t see any reason why you could not use it.
Question:
Regarding the A Capella contest, are all students supposed to sing or is it fine if a few students only spend their time beatboxing or doing body percussion during the whole performance?
Answer:
There should be a balance between those who sing and those who contribute in a different way i.e. beatbox.
Question:
What are the measures of the light? Height, intensity, distance from the cloth.
Answer:
Please refer to Post 1 for all technical parameters or Post 7 for visual representation which you can find at the end of the post.
Question:
I’m aware that the standard PA kit will be used for the sound, so what I would like to know is where the microphones will be positioned. Will students have to hold them or will they be positioned around the stage?
Answer:
This is ultimately up to the students. They can position the microphones where they think is most suitable. Alternatively, they can move around with the mics as these tend to have very long cords. I would also like to mention that most of the venues we use for the drama and the song performances typically have very good acoustics and in the past students often opted to perform without microphones.
Question:
Regarding the drama festival, is it okay for a student to come out of the screen to give a closing or final reflection?
Answer:
As per previous posts, one student will be allowed to appear in front of/on the side of the screen at any part of the performance. The role of this student is entirely up to the team.
Question:
My students are aware that the light source cannot be changed to different colours, but they wanted to know if it could be blocked for a few seconds three times during the presentation.
Answer:
Unfortunately, due to health and safety reasons we cannot allow the students to operate the light (nor will we allow for it to be turned on and off repeatedly mid-performance) or get too close to it but if they figure out a way to block the light and build it into their performance, that is absolutely fine.