Acting the Part

This year our Performance category was judged by award winning comedian, actor, writer and improviser, Cariad Lloyd. Best known for her podcast, Griefcast, as well as her appearances on Peep Show, Qi and Have I Got News For You, Cariad is very experienced in facing an audience. For her day at the Koestler Arts Centre though, the roles were reversed! Whilst giving valuable feedback to the entrants, Cariad was also able take away a few important reminders and lessons for her own work.

How did you find judging the Koestler Awards as a first time Judge?

I really enjoyed it. It was really amazing to see so many different types of performance. From poetry to magic, to storytelling, to music. It was really amazing.

Did anything really stand out for you?

There’s some amazing story telling, such as Dads doing specific stories for their kids – that was really touching. And them doing the silly voices – it was really funny. The really good ones were the ones that went to town, really went for it, really enjoyed it, and you felt like you were being read a story.

Is there anything you would take away from what you heard today?

It’s a good reminder that you don’t need lots of bells and whistles. You just need to need to emotionally connect to your material. The best ones were just when you really felt what they were trying to tell you.

Is there anything that you’d like to see more of in this category?

I really enjoyed the stories. They were really lovely. Just people reading, using voices, and dedicated to kids. There was music, and really good production values. It felt like a lovely thing.

Do you have advice for people that might want to improve their performance skills?

I think the biggest thing would be just taking your time, and pace. Just learning to give your audience time to catch up with you. Because you might know a story or song, but we don’t, it’s the first time we’re hearing it.