Thursday night’s performance in the Drama Studio showcased a snapshot of Minotaur’s talent. With four plays of less than thirty minutes, each piece had a limited time to impress the audience.

Benjamin’s Bullet

First up was Benjamin’s Bullet, by Freddie Van Der Velde and directed by Edel McCormick. Jake Phillips-Head and Milly Rolle gave a brilliantly timed joint performance as Benjamin Whithers, a soldier dying alone on the beaches of Normandy, and the ‘Bullet’ lodged in his intestines. Phillips-Head’s acceptance and self reflection were a perfect accompaniment to Rolle’s erratic ‘Bullet’, with her hilarious comic timing contrasting the intensity of his performance. Despite the distracting presence of heavy footwear, it was a poignant yet comical performance.

The Gap Year Poets Society

Next up came The Gap Year Poets Society, written and directed by Jodie Garnish and Ellie Whittaker. Fresh from Africa, Hannah is on the search for others who spent their year off helping the poor and feeding the hungry. Instead she finds a hilarious group of wannabe hippies wearing head dresses, playing bongos and enjoying bong hits between poetry recitals. Although some characters’ pronunciation was difficult to understand, Hannah Walmesley-Browne was hilarious as rich girl Pandora and Abi Stewart’s performance as Acorn had the audience in stitches. Whilst perhaps slightly trite in places, the piece spoke to anyone who’s struggled with pretentious crowds at University socials. And the shiny potato of sharing was without a doubt the best best prop of the night.

Occupation: Housewife

Following an intermission came Occupation: Housewife, by Helena Nattrass. A poignant piece highlighting female repression and the role of the homemaker in 1950’s America. With perfect and unfaltering accents, the script struck a cord with any female audience member struggling with the family/work debate in their future. The decision to use Jack Sears in drag to portray a struggling wife at first seemed confusing, but by the end of the performance this gender issue disappeared in light of a fantastic performance by all cast members. With a series of monologues and narration leading up to a powerful climax, the emotive speeches and period costumes juxtaposed against authentic advertisements made this the performance of the night.

The Life and Death of Glitter God

The evening’s final performance came in the form of The Life and Death of Glitter God, written by Josh Husselbee and directed by Jake Phillips-Head. Beginning in a police station interrogation room, this short showed teenager Aurelia relating the events surrounding her best friend’s death. Dealing with such a delicate issue as the role of religion in homosexuality, the piece handled certain areas with sensitivity and care. Whilst the character of Charlie seemed a tad steryotypical in places, Ollie Mcfadden’s performance towards the end of the piece was touching and heart felt. A strong and comical demonstration of such a potentially painful issue.

Thursday night’s shorts were an amalgamation of poignancy and humour, dealing with delicate and sensitive issues in a comical and upbeat way. Period props and lighting enhanced the performances effectively, and set the bar high for the rest of the weekend.