The Saskatchewan Drama Association Middle Years festival got off to a terrific start today with an energetic workshop in the morning and three entertaining plays in the afternoon.
Dr. George Ferguson School in Regina got things started with a production of one of my plays, SPLIT. I've seen this play several times now, but always with an older high school cast. It was very interesting for me to see the material tackled by junior actors (and 30 of them, no less!) because their young age changed the context of many of the scenes. It almost felt like an entirely different play, which was very exciting for me to see. There are a lot of serious issues that are dealt with in the play, but the cast wisely chose to focus on the comedy and they had the attention of the audience from the very first line to the last. The ensemble worked really well together and I loved what the directors did with just a few black blocks. This is a play that can be done very simply or with epic production values, and I thought it was a very successful and appropriate choice for this group to take a minimalistic approach. All in all, I was very happy with their production and proud of the actors for their mature portrayals of each character.
The second play was WAIT WAIT BO BAIT by Lindsay Price, presented by Balgonie Elementary School. The first word that came to mind when I saw this show was energy! It's a fantastic script for younger actors because the situations are hilarious and offer every single character a moment to shine. This production also featured a huge cast and they worked so, so, so, so well together. Often times young actors pick up on each other's rhythms until everyone is performing at the same pace and energy level. No so with this group. There was a constant variety of emotions and physical business that kept the play moving along at a very quick pace. I have to point out that I was reminded of my own days in drama because the cast was made up of 22 girls and 1 boy. I know exactly what's it like to be the only boy amidst a sea of girls (not easy!), so he deserves mad props for holding his own. Great script, great cast, great staging!
CAFE MURDER by Nathan Hartswick, presented by Stoughton Central School, ended the afternoon on a great note. This murder-mystery spoof was a very good choice for this group. It was the most realistic play of the day, with the action happening at one time and in one location. I have to say that the actors really did a nice job bringing their characters to life. The cast of 10 was onstage together for almost the entire show, which is sometimes tough to keep interesting; however, the director came up with some really clever ways to vary the action and kept things moving along nicely. I also thought their setting was very well thought out and attractive.
It's so much fun to be a part of this festival and watch young actors just starting to learn their craft. It's also wonderful to see so many students involved! Casts of 30+ actors are pretty much unheard of these days, but looking at the program for the week ahead, it looks like all of the plays have large casts. That's very encouraging and I hope they all stick with it. Like I said, I saw a ton of natural talent on the stage today and I can't wait to see what's in store tomorrow afternoon!
Dr. George Ferguson School in Regina got things started with a production of one of my plays, SPLIT. I've seen this play several times now, but always with an older high school cast. It was very interesting for me to see the material tackled by junior actors (and 30 of them, no less!) because their young age changed the context of many of the scenes. It almost felt like an entirely different play, which was very exciting for me to see. There are a lot of serious issues that are dealt with in the play, but the cast wisely chose to focus on the comedy and they had the attention of the audience from the very first line to the last. The ensemble worked really well together and I loved what the directors did with just a few black blocks. This is a play that can be done very simply or with epic production values, and I thought it was a very successful and appropriate choice for this group to take a minimalistic approach. All in all, I was very happy with their production and proud of the actors for their mature portrayals of each character.
The second play was WAIT WAIT BO BAIT by Lindsay Price, presented by Balgonie Elementary School. The first word that came to mind when I saw this show was energy! It's a fantastic script for younger actors because the situations are hilarious and offer every single character a moment to shine. This production also featured a huge cast and they worked so, so, so, so well together. Often times young actors pick up on each other's rhythms until everyone is performing at the same pace and energy level. No so with this group. There was a constant variety of emotions and physical business that kept the play moving along at a very quick pace. I have to point out that I was reminded of my own days in drama because the cast was made up of 22 girls and 1 boy. I know exactly what's it like to be the only boy amidst a sea of girls (not easy!), so he deserves mad props for holding his own. Great script, great cast, great staging!
CAFE MURDER by Nathan Hartswick, presented by Stoughton Central School, ended the afternoon on a great note. This murder-mystery spoof was a very good choice for this group. It was the most realistic play of the day, with the action happening at one time and in one location. I have to say that the actors really did a nice job bringing their characters to life. The cast of 10 was onstage together for almost the entire show, which is sometimes tough to keep interesting; however, the director came up with some really clever ways to vary the action and kept things moving along nicely. I also thought their setting was very well thought out and attractive.
It's so much fun to be a part of this festival and watch young actors just starting to learn their craft. It's also wonderful to see so many students involved! Casts of 30+ actors are pretty much unheard of these days, but looking at the program for the week ahead, it looks like all of the plays have large casts. That's very encouraging and I hope they all stick with it. Like I said, I saw a ton of natural talent on the stage today and I can't wait to see what's in store tomorrow afternoon!
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