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!
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!
Bradley, what a lovely comment about CLUTTER. It was my very first play. It was the one that made me realize, sitting on the floor of the barn that was Victoria Hall in Kitchener Waterloo in snowy December with 20 patrons in the audience, that I wanted to write. That giving an experience to an audience was within my grasp. I'm not one for spouting platitudes of "this moment changed my life" but that moment (on the floor at the back of the hall, with the snow raging outside) is the one I point to as the beginning of my life as a writer. I'm amazed at how it reaches out and continues to connect with people twenty years later....
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked my set :D i painted all of the backdrops for quest for quasi, and this year were going back to provies with another one of my sets :) went with a new approach this year ( top secret, just incase there spies lurking here! ) hope you get to come watch again! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's fantastic! As a matter of fact I will be at provincials this year, so I look forward to seeing what surprises your show has in store. I was thrilled to see Rosetown advance last year because RCHS has done several of my plays in the past. Winning two years in a row is quite an achievement, so you're obviously doing something right. Congratulations!
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