SDA Festival: Awards & My Picks

Awards. Both exciting and perplexing. How can one measure an artistic achievement? There is only one front-of-house adjudicator and one backstage adjudicator at this festival, so the awards often come down to personal preference. In years past the adjudicators here have been wonderfully impartial about the plays themselves, and I'm sure the same was true this year. Regardless, theater is a subjective experience so the outcome of every festival depends not only on the quality of the plays (of course), but also the little details that happen to stand out to the adjudicator. What the students hopefully take away is that this is a celebration of the creative spirit, regardless of who wins any hardware. That said, it’s always fun to see how my choices stack against the awards given. So let’s compare the actual winners of the top awards to what my selections would have been.

MY PICK FOR BEST OVERALL PRODUCTION: Tracks
MY RUNNER UP: Among Friends and Clutter

AWARDED BEST OVERALL PRODUCTION: Interview
AWARDED RUNNER-UP: Tracks

MY PICK FOR BEST VISUAL PRODUCTION: Tracks
MY RUNNER-UP: Among Friends and Clutter

AWARDED BEST VISUAL PRODUCTION: Tracks
AWARDED RUNNER-UP: Among Friends and Clutter

MY PICK FOR THE CHALLENGE CUP: To Burn a Witch
AWARDED THE CHALLENGE CUP: Tracks

MY PICKS FOR ACTING MEDALS (4):
Cassandra Turgeon, Earwig
Greg Barkway, Interview
Matt Tremblay, Tracks
Brittany Ayers, Among Friends and Clutter

AWARDED ACTING MEDALS (4):
Maya Branyik-Thornton, Two Dumb Dogs
Taylor Roy, Two Dumb Dogs
Brittany Ayers, Among Friends and Clutter
Keyanna Burgher, To Burn a Witch

MY PICKS FOR TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE (4):
Hair, To Burn a Witch
Props, Earwig
Costumes, Two Dumb Dogs
Sound, Tracks

AWARDED FOR TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE (4):
Lighting, Interview
Costumes, The Quest for Quasi
Lighting, Omnipotence and the Wheelbarrow Man
Sound, Two Dumb Dogs

Funny how two people can have such vastly different opinions! This proves how every single production at this festival should feel proud for having made it this far, regardless of the outcome. And since last year I received so much positive feedback from students and teachers for blogging about the festival, I thought I would point out a few more people that really stuck out in my mind...

OUTSTANDING ACTING: Macy Barber (Twitch), Amy King (Twitch), Katie Kotter (To Burn a Witch), Keyanna Burgher (To Burn a Witch), Kayla Milligan (Romeo and Julie), Megan Rumpel (Omnipotence and the Wheelbarrow Man), Kennedy Thompson (Omnipotence and the Wheelbarrow Man), Jesse Pallo (Earwig), Sam Paxman (Two Dumb Dogs), Carley Greening (Two Dumb Dogs), Maya Branyik-Thornton (Two Dumb Dogs), Taylor Roy (Two Dumb Dogs), Sam Kozun (Tracks), Jocelyn Beyer (Tracks), Ashlynn Harms (Interview), Drew Thommes (And Then There Was One), Emily Smith (The Quest for Quasi), Brandon Parfitt (Among Friends and Clutter), Mitchell Corbett (Among Friends and Clutter), Angeline Stankewich (Among Friends and Clutter)

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL: Puppet design (Twitch), Set design (To Burn a Witch), Costumes (Romeo and Julie), Spot light (Romeo and Julie), Lighting (Omnipotence and the Wheelbarrow Man), Set design (Earwig), Stage combat (Two Dumb Dogs), Lighting (Tracks), Choreography (Interview), Chase sequence (And Then There Was One), Make-up (The Quest for Quasi), Revolving walls (Among Friends and Clutter)

I could go on and on and on and on. So to all the students at the festival, thank you for the great weekend of theater and congratulations on a job well done. I can't wait to do it all again next year!

SDA Festival: Day 3

As quickly as it started, the festival has drawn to a close. The last two plays this afternoon were both comedies and both were very well done...

THE QUEST FOR QUASI by Darlene Gonzalez, presented by Rosetown Central School - What a fun play that a parodies a number of famous fairy tales. The young lady who played Quasimodo was truly terrific because she commanded the stage without ever overplaying the role. And the group utilized a number of wonderfully done backdrops for each scene. There was one in particular that had an abstract forest painted on it that I would happily have hung on my wall. It was a piece of art in my opinion.

AMONG FRIENDS AND CLUTTER by Lindsay Price, presented by Sacred Heart High School - Of all the plays that have been written for high school students, this is one of my all time favorites. On the page, it reaches out and grabs you without ever letting go. On stage, it's even better. And Sacred Heart took the material into orbit with their rich charactarizations and creative staging. I was also blown away by the use of color. The costumes, set and lighting were all designed with a purpose which made the vignettes feel very cohesive. I love this play and I loved this production.

Now we wait as these schools head into their adjudications before the awards are announced this evening. The adjudicator must be hard pressed to pick any favorites among the strong group of participants. I have notes and little stars all over my program, so if I were the judge I would very likely be handing out certificates all night long. I'll be interested to see how his picks match up with mine...which I will let you all know later tonight!

SDA Festival: Day 2

Today started with workshops while the students from last night's shows met with the adjudicator. I have to say that I had a totally awesome, wildly inventive and hysterically funny group of students in my workshop. My workshop is all about using improv as a playwrighting tool and I was amazed at the level of creativity that I found in my group. Each and every one of them had something vital to say that would make great plays. I hope at least one or two of them will go on to actually write a play of their own because I know they all would be capable of doing so. I sure hope they had as much fun as I did. I'm always inspired by the students I meet at these workshops, so what I really wanted to do afterwards was rush to my hotel and start writing something. But there was no time for such things, as the first two plays of the day began precisely at 1 o'clock...

EARWIG by Fraser MacFarlane, presented by Spiritwood High School - I had never heard of this play before and am so glad that I had no idea how the plot was going to unfold. It was a macabre story about three postal workers who find a severed head that had been boxed up and sent in the mail. Despite the grim and grisly plot elements, I loved this play far more that I probably should admit. What I liked best about the production was how cavalier the actors treated the entire situation. They were mature enough to allow the script to dictate a leisurely pace that made the entire play feel like "just another boring day at the office." Far too often I find that high school comedies are overly aggressive when it comes to comedy and end up assaulting the audience with a frenetic pace that would have been so much better had they dialed things down a notch. Not so with this production. Even in the face of a severed head, these characters barely batted an eyelash. The contrast of the shocking news and their lackadaisical reaction was refreshing and unexpected.

TWO DUMB DOGS: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF FERDO AND FLOOF by Edith Weiss, presented by Lampman High School - A little over 7 months ago I adopted my very first dog. He has changed my life in more ways than I could possibly write about here, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to see there was going to be a play about dogs. The script beautifully captures what I believe it would be like to be a dog. One of my favorite newspaper comics (Mutts by Patrick McDonnell) put it best when a dog is asked for the time and he replies "NOW!" Indeed, dogs live only the present; an idea that was put to good use in Ms. Weiss' script. The group had a lot of material to cram into 60 minutes, but they somehow managed to do it. What stood out for me were the costumes. They were truly stunning, inventive and well-crafted. If ever there was a Project Runway for costume design, this would have been the winner, hands down.

After a quick bite to eat and some more adjudications, the festivities continued with three more productions...

TRACKS by Peter Tarsi, presented by Carrot River Junior Senior High School - I came across this script not long ago and it struck me as one of the most beautiful ensemble pieces I had ever read. But plays are not meant to be read, they are meant to be produced, and the students at Carrot River brought this wonderful play to life in such an astounding manner that I was struck all over again by its powerful message. The ensemble of actors worked so beautifully together that I could have sworn I was watching professionals. The visual concept, from the set design to the sound and lighting, was utter perfection. I truly believed these characters were inhabiting their space, which is something that should be always treasured in the theater. Kudos to the directors and performers alike.

INTERVIEW by Jean-Claude Van Itallie, presented by Warman High School - I have had a copy of this play on my shelf for years and have never been quite able to make heads or tails of it. Yet every time I see the play (and I think this is the third or forth time I have seen it) I am always entertained, even if I am never quite sure why. The staging of this production was jam packed with interesting levels, action and choreography. I am looking forward to attending the adjudication of this play in particular because I would love to hear how the students approached the material.

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE by Michael Druce, presented by Charlebois Community School - This school made their first appearance at the provincial festival two years ago. Last year they came back stronger than the first and this year even stronger still. This is certainly a group to watch because they have scads of enthusiasm that the audience found truly infectious. All of the actors were committed to their roles and had a glimmer in their eyes that made it obvious how much fun they were having up there on the stage. In particular, there was an uproarious chase sequence that had everyone in stitches. They seemed to really "get" farce by always keeping the audience in on the joke. Bravo!

It's hard to believe, but there are only two more plays before this festival comes to a close. Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. With that, I will meet you back here tomorrow with more commentary from the 2011 SDA provincial festival!

SDA Festival: Day 1

At long last, the 2011 Saskatchewan Drama Association provincial festival is upon us. When I was a teenager it felt like an eternity before the festival would roll around, but now it feels like I was just here for last year's festival. I started out the day at a delicious luncheon with a few of the adult directors and SDA staff. I have to say that the SDA staff and volunteers are some of the most awesome people I know. Their dedication to providing arts education is awe inspiring. Lunch was followed by a workshop I facilitated about how to write a collective play in five days. The teachers and volunteers in that workshop were fantastic, making me believe more than ever that students in Saskatchewan are extremely lucky. Especially considering the lack of interest in theater arts I have seen elsewhere.

Then came my favorite part of the festival...the performances themselves! I remember sitting in the audience when I was 15 years old, my eyes agape at all of the high quality productions. I learned so much from all the shows that advanced to the provincial level and continue to think about them whenever I am writing a play. I thought perhaps it was my untrained eye that made them seem so magnificent, but I am happy to report that it not the case. So far they are every bit as creative as ever.

There are 10 shows in the festival this year and tonight got off to a terrific start...

TWITCH by Stephen Gregg, presented by Campbell Collegiate - After what seems like self imposed exile from writing high school plays, Stephen Gregg of This is a Test fame has returned with a wonderfully funny and rather bizarre new comedy. What could easily have been a script for The Twilight Zone, a suburban couple is pitted against their two extremely deranged neighbors. What I enjoyed most was the breezy pace of the production. Rather than race through the material, as happens quite often at the high school level, the actors found a unique rhythm that suited the material perfectly. All four players were terrific and the titular "twitch" was hysterical. Also, there was a really cool puppet involved and I am rather partial to puppets.

TO BURN A WITCH by James L. Bray, presented by Vanier Collegiate - Much like This is a Test, this is another play that turns up regularly at festivals. And for good reason. It's a phenomenal piece of writing that tells a tale similar to The Crucible, but in a bite sized portion. The actors appeared very confident with their interpretation of the material, which helped tremendously in drawing in the audience. The visual impact of the set was huge, adding to the atmosphere without swallowing the action. A very solid production from top to bottom.

ROMEO AND JULIE by Bill Comeau, presented by James Hamblin School - Parodies of Shakespeare's plays seem to be sprouting up like dandelions and now I know why. It was a terrific choice of material for this particular group. So I am told, the entire cast was comprised of sixth to ninth graders. In a festival that is generally made up of senior high students, this junior high group was far from in over their head. They had gobs of energy that spilled over into the audience. The play also had an 80's theme, which is always a good thing.

OMNIPOTENCE AND THE WHEELBARROW MAN by Alan Haehnel, presented by Swift Current Comprehensive School - I am partial to comedies about the theatrical experience, so I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a narrator on a power trip. In particular, there was a young couple in love that was played to absolute perfection. They had sensational timing and pitch-perfect reactions. I also enjoyed the group's clever use of the entire playing space, from every corner of the stage to out front in the audience. I would have loved it even more had the omniscient narrator appeared in even more locations; perhaps from under the stage or way up in the balcony.

Obviously the first evening was a huge success, so I look forward to more great plays tomorrow!

To Catch a Play

I have often referred to my plays as unicorns. Rumor has it they exist, yet catching a performance is about as rare as seeing a mystical beast with a horn coming out of its forehead. The year 2010 was a great year for my plays with more productions than any other year. I am so grateful that there are teachers, students and publishers out there who find my plays appealing enough to spend hours working on them. The royalties trickle in, as do emails from students around the globe thanking me for putting words in their mouths. I have many folders of photos from these productions and videos of new plays in their formative stages. Yet of all these productions, I was only in the audience for one of them. So while I'm thrilled to have a loyal and appreciative audience, it gives my heart a slight pang to have missed out on the sheer exhilaration that comes with sitting amongst a group of strangers and hearing my words come alive. So you can imagine my thrill when I made my way through the cold and rain to Bayview Glen Prep School this evening and caught myself a unicorn!

"Apostrophe's" is one of my most popular plays, thanks partly to its vignette structure, gender flexible cast and minimal set requirements. I owe most of its success, however, to the incredible promotion it has received from its publisher, Theatrefolk. They have helped put my name on the high school theater map and I will forever be thankful for their support. I was so happy when, just the other day, I received a notice from Theatrefolk that Bayview Glen Prep School would be performing the play. I quickly Googled their location and am not ashamed to admit that I skipped joyously around my apartment when it turned out the school was only one bus ride away.

Were I to win the lottery, I would not plan extravagant trips to exotic locations, but rather theatrical vacations to any and every school producing one of my plays. On several occasions I have driven hours to see one of my plays and I have even hopped on an airplane. While I am excited to see how my words are interpreted (each play is entirely different every time), I am mostly inspired by the amount of camaraderie that fills each performance space. Over the years thousands of students have come together because of things I have written and there is nothing quite so overwhelming as being in the presence of all that support. Parents gather for cookies in the lobby, siblings scatter with programs in hand and the actors huddle together for last minute line readings. I have always said that in high school theater the process is far more important than the product, so it's the cookies, scatters and huddles that give what I do so much meaning. But when the production is also good... well, there's nothing quite as exciting!

The entire cast and crew of Bayview Glen's "Apostrophe's" blew me away. There was so much talent and enthusiasm up on that stage that it was mind boggling. And this was no high school performance either; it was fifth and sixth graders performing at a level far beyond their years. The amount of concentration that was required of them by their director showed that he has great trust in their abilities. And for good reason! There were so many great moments that it's nearly impossible to pick out any favorites, but some were so terrific that they deserve special mention.

Early in the play a group of students fall asleep in their desks and collapse to the floor. Every time I've seen the show the actors have fallen to the floor and then exited the stage when the scene was over and the lights had blacked out. For the first time (at least that I have seen) the director had the good sense to never go a blackout and, thus, keep the play moving at a brisk pace. This meant, however, that these actors were stuck on stage. On the floor. Asleep. For forty minutes. They are eventually revived toward the end, but it must have been a long wait there on the stage without being able to move. Yet they did it beautifully. And I am not being sarcastic in the least. If anyone says it's difficult to speak on stage, I tell them to go up there and say nothing. They learn pretty quickly that concentrating when there is "nothing to do" is much harder than it looks. I was so impressed that the director asked this of his cast and even more so that they were up to the challenge. This was one hell of an acting exercise and they passed with flying colors.

One of the characters is an English teacher who is exasperated by his students and their lack of respect for punctuation. I based the character on my eleventh grade English teacher, Mr. Sully, who would occasionally get into a lather whenever a semi-colon was used out of turn. I thought this was hilarious at the time, so it was just a matter of time before he ended up in one of my plays. I had some of the funniest (and craziest) high school teachers you can imagine and have often mined them for comedy. But this play came before I started disguising their identities, so to Mr. Sully: It's all out of love. Anyways, the young man playing Mr. Sully was so funny that I had to stop myself from bursting into a distracting guffaw several times. I was truly disappointed when his scene was over because he had the audience in the palm of his hand. Later in the play (and this shows you how often I have looked at it), I was pleased to find out that Mr. Sully returns and is integral to the play's resolution. I can't believe I forgot how the play ended, but it was written many moons ago and I have a difficult enough time keeping track of the one I'm working on right now. At this rate I am concerned that I will one day write an entire play and not realize that I had written it already.

One of my personal favorite scenes I have ever written is an exchange between a troubled young teenager and a sock puppet. Usually the scene is played to the hilt for maximum laughs, but I was pleasantly pleased to have seen it played with such restraint. Both the teenager and the principal playing opposite him found a deeper meaning to the scene than its wacky words suggest. They did it exactly as I had imagined when I put the words to paper and that never happens!

I could go on and on - about the terrific Emcee, the hysterical gym teacher, the adorable German exchange student, the wonderfully bizarre poetry reading, the awesome light and sound effects, the super cool ending montage - and on and on. These students should be so proud of their hard work and, thanks to their teacher, I think that is exactly the case. I received some very generous compliments after it was all said and done, but my conversations afterward were overwhelmingly about what an inspiration Mr. Moore has been to his students. I only had the opportunity to speak with him for a few minutes, but based on the positive comments I heard (from both students and parents) I assume that these kids are mighty lucky to have him.

Let it be said that I would be nowhere without the drama teachers of the world. I have made it my mission to provide plays for teenagers that encourage them to have their voices heard, both on and off the stage. Yet without drama teachers, they would be nothing but words on a page. And plays are not meant to be read; they are meant to be performed. Perhaps some teachers see students come and go for so many years that they forget what an impact they have on their lives. But when I attend a performance of this quality and encounter students with this much enthusiasm, the power of a good teacher becomes crystal clear.

After the play I was mobbed by a group of students who wanted my autograph and I briefly felt like a rock star. I happily obliged, but what I really wanted to tell them is that they are the rock stars. They are the reason I do what I do. As I write this, it occurs to me that my excitement may seem a tad excessive. However, unlike most working people, I rarely get a chance to see the fruits of my labor, so an entire years worth of pride comes bursting out all at once. I sure hope another year doesn't pass before I catch another unicorn, but in the meantime I will keep putting them out there for others to discover.

Thanks again to everyone at Bayview Glen for a great show!