Thirty-years ago this week, the Sackville Theatre was opened by Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Harold Hobson, before the first performance (a co-production with the National Theatre) of Lark Rise to Candleford. Since then the Theatre has hosted a wide range of student and professional work. What better way than to mark this anniversary than with a new kind of event and ultimate dramatic test: a monologue competition - Monojam.

Twenty four students, spanning the entire age range of the school, took part in what was a thoroughly engaging and impressive evening of drama. Each performer selected and rehearsed (and in some cases, wrote) their own speech and then performed them, back to back on the Sackville stage, with just one attempt to make an impact.

To intensify the competitive element, three external judges chose winners in each age category. The judges were all from the professional theatre world and connected to Sevenoaks: Philip Bird is an Old Sennockian – he left the school in 1970 and is an established actor in theatre, film, television and radio, as well as a writer of films, stage plays and musicals; Rachel Dawson is also an OS (1997-2004) and is a professional Actor and Musician; the third judge was Annabel Bates, the School’s part-time Trinity Guildhall teacher and professional actress.