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!
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!
Hello, my name is Matt Tremblay (Performed as Old Man in Tracks) and I am glad to hear you enjoyed our production, any feedback is always good to hear after putting in so much time into something, especially something you are so passionate about. I look forward to reading your blog next year regardless of whether or not our production partakes in provincials. I am especially glad to hear you felt our production was the best overall AND that I was one of the top four actors within the festival. I know that "it doesn't matter what others think as long as you know you did your best" but since I've been in sports far longer than drama, recognition is always nice. I will make sure to tell my fellow actors and my director how you felt about our performance. Thank you a million times over for your appreciation and feedback.
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