The audience goes silent as curtains are drawn and a bell is a rang.
All eyes are on the stage as John Mark Shibero from Starehe Boys puts his best performance of his solo verse, The Tick, during the national drama festivals.
In a white shirt, sky blue tie and checked short, he wakes up from his bed, yawns and stretches his arms.
“In my mind like a butterfly, her beauty would fly. Her hair, her flare violently flipped by concentration,” Mark begins his captivating performance.
But behind the bold face is a student going through a lot and wishes things would be different back at home.
As he picks the pink rose flower to proceed with the verse, the crowd goes wild cheering and ululating.
“Madam as the sun stretches on these shores, so does my adoration for you for sure and in this cosy flossy world. Whatever she talked, I ticked. I wanted to be her only fan,” he continues.
Her ailing mum Julia Wetende motivated her son to keep shining in his talents, but not forgetting his academics.
Despite the tough times facing the family, Wetende said Mark’s win came as a relieve to the family.
“A lot is going on currently but at least there is something to smile about. The fact that my son emerged a champion in the drama festivals,” Wetende told the Star.
From the subcounty to the county, regionals and finally to the national level, Wetende always whispered a prayer for her son.
“I did not get to such levels myself, so my son made me proud. God will open ways for him both in his talent and his academics.”
Wetende who is a grocery trader narrated struggling to pay school fees for her four children.
On the other hand, her husband does farming around their home.
“We have been applying for bursaries from the county and constituency but right now the fee balance has accrued,” she said.
As the family struggles to raise fees for Mark, Wetende's hopes were regained, from the win.
When she received news that her son is expected to perform the solo verse at State House, she could not hide her joy.
Mark is expected to perform The tick before President William Ruto anytime this month.
“He started showcasing his talent in drama at a very young age, when he was in primary school, and we agreed with his father not to stop him from following his dream,” she said.
In this solo verse, the student who is addicted to TikTok says he is a fan of a content creator on the platform.
Later, it emerged the ‘fan’ is meant to be his teacher of English and this adversely affects his concentration in class.
This year’s drama festival was themed Fostering Digital Transformation through Theatre and Film.
More than 150 schools and colleges converged in Mombasa for the National Drama Festivals.
The selected winners are set to proceed to a state concert including Riara Springs Academy, Joy Town Secondary school among others.
