The Keeley Plate committee is delighted to come together once again to celebrate
the most promising youth performance of the season. This award, which was first
established in 1963, is open to our young members of school age including those in
Year 13 who may already be 18. It is presented in memory of John Keeley, a
talented young actor whose life was tragically cut short.
For the 2024/25 season, the committee included myself, Lucy Norris and Clare
Franks. We had the pleasure of watching performances from an incredibly varied
and engaging season including A Monster Calls in September, 100 and The
Hypochondriac in November, It’s a Wonderful Life in January and James and the
Giant Peach in April. These productions offered a wonderful range of roles, giving
our youth members many chances to grow, take risks and discover what they’re
capable of.
We began the season with A Monster Calls, based on the novel by Patrick Ness.
It showcased the emotional depth of our older Youth Theatre members. Among them
Louis Higham took on the challenging role of Conor; a boy navigating the
complexities of grief and guilt. His sensitivity and emotional maturity were especially
moving in his final scene with his mother – a truly memorable moment.
The Hypochondriac by Molière in early November, offered the opportunity for
two youth theatre members to join the adult production. Blending acting, singing and
dancing, Céleste Rose-Valmary threw herself into the role of Angélique which she
took to with aplomb. She approached the role with commitment and maturity,
showing that she understood comic and farcical timing perfectly.
Later that month we returned to 100, a piece with special significance for our theatre
– it having won Best Production at the Leatherhead Festival when directed by Lauren
Milsom in 2006. It felt fitting that our youth theatre brought it back for our centenary
year, directed by Beth Brooks. It was a moving and well-acted production with
standout performances from Holly De Quintal giving us a thoughtful, well-developed
performance as Alex and Millicent Champion who was very convincing in her role
as Nia.
Our traditional family show in January was It’s a Wonderful Life by Mary Eliot
Nelson and featured some of our Youth Members in a few of the smaller roles: we
were especially pleased to witness Sam Green’s confidence and stage presence
grow in his role as the Young George Bailey as the performances progressed
through the run.
Finally, in April we were treated to Roald Dahl’s delightful James and the Giant
Peach. There was such an array of talent on display from a cast of 17 (yes 17!)
children aged 7 and up. Congratulations to Malvika Vaghasiya for taking on the title
role of James with energy and enthusiasm. Alongside her, Sam Green and Bowen
Lu formed a fantastic double act — both full of humour and fearlessly playful in their
portrayals of female characters. And the five bugs, what a priceless team! Every one
of them, none older than 9 until Phoebe turned 10 during the run deserves a
mention. Ben Alexander as Centipede, Phoebe Dunhill as Grasshopper, Emily
Egan as Ladybird, Freya Hodges as Miss Spider and Mila James as Earthworm
delivered confident and engaging performances, with clear voices, wonderful comic
timing and strong characterisation, they helped bring the story to life.
We extend our congratulations to every Youth member who has taken part in a
production this season – not only those I have mentioned tonight, but everyone who
has been involved in the variety of fabulous shows we are proud to put on here at
The Courtyard Theatre.
However, there can only be one winner of the Keeley Plate. This year’s recipient
first caught our eyes last season in Grimm Tales and we have loved watching them
develop in skill and confidence this season. Appearing in both The Hypochondriac
and 100, the winner of the Keeley Plate for the most promising performance of
2024/25 is… Céleste Rose-Valmary.
I would like to invite Sam Gower, last year’s winner, onto the stage to present the
Keeley Plate to our winner.
Edwina Marrow
June 2025
