ÌÇÐÄVlog

Final year drama students are set to walk the boards of the Lakeside Theatre as they premiere their degree shows at Launch Festival 2025.

Undergraduate students from the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies will showcase 11 performances to live audiences over four days at the University’s Colchester Campus performing arts theatre in an Edinburgh Fringe style festival.

The Lakeside Theatre and Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies have collaborated to deliver a free festival of theatre which celebrates the achievements of the students and promotes live theatre to the campus and local communities.

Professor Elizabeth Kuti who supervises the student projects, said: "We’re always so proud of the Launch Festival, where our students premiere their graduation show. It’s a piece of theatre they’ve made which really reflects their passions and unique perspectives on life."

The student performances at this year’s festival feature several works that explore mental health and climate emergency. In her original piece, BA Drama and Scriptwriting student Emma Kopf explores the complexities of bringing a child into a world ravaged by climate change. Emma talks about her piece in .

This year’s festival also sees many students take on the stage on their own, as Professor Kuti remarked: "many of our students have chosen to create one-person shows, and these are often stories of deep personal significance which they are sharing and transforming through art, so that although they may be based on personal experience, they reach out to touch audiences across the whole spectrum."

BA Drama student Corey Lee will be performing an original piece where he will experiment with the enactment of dissociative identity disorder (DID).

Corey said of his piece: "It's an idea that I have had for many years, and the challenge of performing 6 different characters all in dialogue with each other will be exciting. I chose this theme because DID has always been of interest to me since studying psychology at A level, and this piece has allowed me to merge psychology and theatre together to create a dramatic piece structured as a tragedy."

Lakeside Theatre Manager, Kanyinsola Olanrewaju, is excited by the potential for Launch Festival performers to return to the Lakeside Theatre next year through the theatre’s . 

She said: “We run an annual Homegrown programme, where ÌÇÐÄVlog students and alumni can put on a show on one of our stages and perform to a paying audience! In the past we have had man Launch Festival performers return to the Lakeside Theatre, and I am excited by the prospect of seeing their ideas deepen and develop.”

Launch Festival is an annual collaboration between the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies and the Lakeside Theatre and will run for the sixth time from 13 to 16 May 2025.

Free tickets for Launch Festival can be booked via the .