Societies Corner | Katie Dennison

Get Fat with Dramat‘Fat’ standing for ‘funny and talented’ of course! It’s Fresher’s week and we’re heading down to the Dramat variety show. They’re a popular bunch but even they are surprised by the size of the crowd outside the Connelly building, over a hundred people have shown up to see the society showcase their talents. With a bit of subtle queue skipping I make it into the performance while others are turned away. From start to finish we experience laughter (a hysterical song from the ‘Book of Mormon’, a skit of a couple who’ve met on a dating site, and a preview of an original play directed by Jack Holland coming up this year), tears (a scene where an elderly lady mourns the son she lost), and genuine awe (Mike Ryan’s homemade instruments were particularly impressive). The committee were bubbly and enthusiastic, encouraging us to get involved by acting/designing/writing our own scripts, and were willing to stand so that we could all have seats. As we were leaving we saw all the people we thought had been turned away due to lack of space waiting for the second performance which had been put on especially to accommodate the overflow of people. We <3 Dramat! Get Oral With Choral!It’s Tuesday, 7pm, and I’m at the Geography building, caught up in a rush of students hurrying into the lecture theatre. Right at the door are members of Choral’s committee who are beaming at everyone, answering questions, and making everyone feel really welcome and glad they came (despite the miserable weather). As a person who was in a musical one time I feel experienced enough to slot in with the other sopranos on the far left of the room, but for everyone else there are more committee members guiding them to seats and introducing those who didn’t come with friends. We begin with an introduction from the glamorous auditor, Olga Dennehy, followed by introductions from the rest of the committee, descriptions of each person’s job, and an overview of what the society will be getting up to during the year. They already have a trip away planned and several concerts including their famous Christmas concert by candlelight in the Honan!Next we meet Tom. Tom Doyle is the conductor, musical director and heart of the society. He is the only person who could make a group of over 100 men and women stand on their seats and sing a song while touching their neighbour’s knees… We’re all feeling pumped after the unusual exercise so we dive enthusiastically into the first song. I’m not going to lie to you, I can’t remember the name – it was in Latin. But the harmonies were gorgeous, and the piece was short and sweet. Then, to wrap up the night in style, we raised the roof with a well know Beach Boys song; “I get around”. By the end of the night everyone was in hysterics, what with the lads trying to make their voices sound deep and manly while the girls attempted to break windows with their high notes, and ready for a session in the pub! A brilliant night and here’s too many more.