Studio Banbury tackled the challenging topic – What does it mean to be Human? Through looking at real-life case studies of feral children found surviving in the wild, and particularly focusing on the case of a girl found in Cambodia, the young people explored the differences between animals and humans and between civilisation and the wild.  A Western Doctor receives a phone call explaining that she is needed in Cambodia to work with the girl which has been found – who cannot speak or seemingly communicate.  Dr Meers, delighted at the opportunity, finds that maybe all is not as she had thought.  Gradually as she realises how little Ro does communicate, she sees that maybe she was happier where she had been rather than locked in the Institute or Orphanage, as an experiment.  A year later, when Dr Meers comes to give a lecture on her research she tells of how Ro disappeared…or was she set free, free to be back with the Wild.

The Silent Daughter, was an explosion of song and dance amid this serious topic, incorporating carnival styles and many a jazz hand alongside the tear-jerking ballads. The company embraced everything about the week with energy and commitment and as well as drama, singing and dancing in the week, looked at Laban movement, ensemble hand drumming and mask making.