Now Available: Troubleshooting

My latest one-act comedy is now available from Brooklyn Publishers!

TROUBLESHOOTING

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Gender flexible cast of 6-20
Running Time: 25-35 minutes
Setting: Area staging

Synopsis: What's the best way to get out of trouble? Motivational speakers Ken and Barbie have just the answer in their latest lecture series, "Troubleshooting for Teens." What starts out as a few harmless tips for teenagers in trouble, including tap dancing as a way to avoid detention, quickly turns dangerous when Ken's advice grows increasingly delusional as the evening wears on. Barbie's own troubleshooting skills are put to the test when Ken loses his mind and starts encouraging the audience to take the law into their own hands. Barbie soon discovers that trying to get out of trouble might be more trouble than it's worth!

To read a free preview and order scripts, please visit Brooklyn Publishers!

SDA Provincial Festival: Day 3

The 2013 Saskatchewan Drama Association Provincial festival came to a close today with 3 entertaining and very diverse productions.

SAYING GOODBYE by Ken Reimer - Presented by Charlebois Community School - This original drama, written by the director, was very nicely executed by the students from Cumberland House. It's been a pleasure to watch talent level from the Northern Region grow tremendously since its inception 5 years ago. Each year the plays from up north have become increasingly stronger and this was far and away their best showing to date. The small cast of 3 were clearly passionate about their play, and their focus was a clear indication of their commitment to the material. Drew Thommes was especially strong, bringing a touching honesty to his performance.

WHAT CAME FIRST? - Written and Presented by North Battleford Comprehensive High School - This ambitious collective got off to a tremendous start by virtue of its stunning (and large) set. The entire design of the show -- from the set to the props to the costumes -- was a strange and effective amalgam of past, present, and future. The complicated lighting plot also added to the surreal atmosphere, and we as an audience were never quite sure what was coming next. After the show, I thought to myself that the title could have been The Kitchen Sink because so many creative ideas were piled into 60 minutes. A very special mention to Allysha Dyck for the stunning puppets she designed for the production. In particular, a chicken (which, FYI, came after the egg in this story) that was not only beautiful to look at, but had such a strong character unto itself that it barely needed a puppeteer to bring it to life.

ADMISSIONS by Colleen Neuman - Presented by Cornerstone Christian School - This moving drama had a very clear message about Heaven and God that left the audience with a very warm feeling inside long after the lights came down. All told, it was the perfect way to end the festival. Very simply staged, the focus was on the acting, and all 3 actresses in the play were exceptional. I remembered one of the actors, Chantal Morin, from her performance 4 years ago at Provincials in the play A Thousand Cranes. Here she took on 4 separate roles, but it wasn't until after the play and I had looked in the program that I realized they had all been played by the same person. The simplicity of the production added immeasurably to the overall impact it had on the audience. The last line of the play takes a moment to sink in, and I know there were many teary eyes in the house when the lights came up for the curtain call.

After the performances came the final adjudications, immediately followed by the awards ceremony. Congratulations to Cornerstone Christian School for taking home Best Overall Production for Admissions and Lampman School for snagging runner-up for Boy Meets Girl: A Young Love Story.

I'd like to send a special congratulations to the extraordinary cast and crew of Vamp Ire from Carrot River Junior/Senior High School; Philip Wiens, Kristy Skalicky, and Josie Dean all came home with very well deserved accolades for their enormous contributions to the play. Their production, and the overwhelmingly positive response it garnered from the audience, was easily the most fulfilling experience of my entire career. I know that it will be remembered by many for years to come and I am incredibly grateful to have shared that experience with an audience of hundreds, all blown away by what they created.

To Emmett Shortt, Samantha Baraniski, Taryn Freemantle, Kristy Skalicky, Philip Wiens, Samantha Fast, Kyle Morris, Cassidy Miller, Tristan Holmen, Rashelle Parcher, Lydia Sauder, Jory Chometsky, Josie Dean, Jessi Gaja, Dana Palmer, Maddy Hiebert, Robyn Holdstock, Erica Weighill, Kristian Skalicky, Weston Dyck, Clayton Dyck, Rhett Stevenson, Clayton Collison, Ashley Lewis, Corbett Merrett, Asia Temple, Tracey Morris, Serena Palmer, and the one and only Dean Armstrong: thank you for bringing my words to life better than I ever thought possible. I am truly humbled by your talent and proud beyond measure to know you all. You are truly amazing and I will never forget everything that you've done for me.

And that's a wrap, folks! So until next year...

Blackout.

SDA Provincial Festival: Day 2

What another awesome day of workshops, adjudications, and of course, performances. Let's not waste any time getting to them!

IN THE GARDEN OF THE SELFISH GIANT by Sandra Fenichel Asher - Presented by Sacred Heart High School - I knew I was going to love this play before it even started. The stunning, albeit simple, set immediately drew me into the play. When the lights came up I was already invested in the lives of the characters because I wanted to know how the setting played a role in the story. The acting was top notch all around, with a special shout out to Corrigan Fafard as Brianna. I was shocked to find out that she is 17 years old in real life because she brought to life a very believable 9 year old girl -- so much so that I assumed she had to be in junior high. She's a natural.

JUST A TEENAGE WASTELAND by Leanne Griffin - Presented by Hanley Composite School - This was an original play, written by the director (with input from the cast), and I enjoyed it quite a lot. Weaving contemporary songs with stories of teenage angst was a great device, especially because it helped feature a very strong cast of actors in their vignettes. All 7 actors had very strong characterization skills and remained true to those characters throughout. As "New Kid," Morgan Lester really went the extra mile in bringing an energy to the show that kept us all entertained. I also thought the visual design of the show was incredible! The set was simple, but effective, and the costumes really popped against the black curtain. These types of plays are my bread and butter as a high school playwright, so it was awesome to see one done from a whole other point of view.

CUT by Ed Monk - Presented by Campbell Collegiate - Campbell always does a great job with their plays (I think this is the 12 consecutive year they've been to provincials) and Cut was no exception. The ensemble of actors worked beautifully together and the pacing of the entire show was spot on. This is one of those shows that I've seen performed a ton of times, but it's one that never seems to get old. There are so many opportunities for physical comedy that I'm aways interested to see how each director decides to stage it. This production went with a more dry humour approach, which I think worked quite nicely. I still think the scene with the 2 techies is one of the best ever written, and Conor MacNeil and Kris Dreger killed it!

BOY MEETS GIRL: A YOUNG LOVE STORY by Sam Wolfson - Presented by Lampman School - I saw this production a few weeks back at the Region 1 festival and it was cool to see how much it had grown in that short amount of time. As two youngsters in love, Maya Branyik-Thornton and Sam Paxman had incredibly chemistry and had the audience in the palm of their hands from the word go. What I loved most about this production is that it never slammed the audience in the head with the idea of "young love through the eyes of kids...haha." No, it treated their love as real and that really came across, which was actually quite moving. Toward the end of the play there was an unfortunate technical glitch, but stuff like that just happens in live theatre, which is part of the reason I love it so much. Anything can happen, and Maya and Sam absolutely rolled with the punches and kept on moving forward. Terrific job!

VAMP IRE by Bradley Hayward - Presented by Carrot River Jr/Sr High School - Once in a lifetime...maybe twice if you're lucky...an actor, director, playwright will be a part of a production that magically creates electricity in the air and vibrations in the rafters. For me, this was that production. Carrot River took my words from here on earth and carried them into a completely new galaxy that I didn't even know existed. Directors Dean Armstrong and Serena Palmer saw something in my script that I did not know it had, and completely knocked it out of the park, as well as the park after that, and the one after that. I have never, ever, in my entire career been with an audience that was literally buzzing with excitement. In fact, the audience eventually became part of the play itself, which kept the energy building more and more, allowing the actors to use that momentum to bring the whole thing home. When the play was over, the feeling was incredible -- like I had just ran a marathon! I was so proud of the cast when they received a standing ovation. Then in the lobby after the show a stranger came to congratulate me for writing the play and told me that she could not help but leap out of her seat after it was all over. I asked why and she said that she felt drawn toward the stage somehow, and that she had never felt anything like it. Needless to say, it took a long time for me to come down to earth from a high like that. At this point, winning or losing the festival doesn't matter one tiny bit. What matters is that the students from Carrot River, those in the audience last night, and myself, were all part of a special, once-in-a-lifetime experience...together.

Congratulations to all of the schools who presented plays today! It truly was a phenomenal day of theatre and I look forward to seeing what tomorrow has in store. I'm sure it will be amazing!

SDA Provincial Festival: Day 1

At long last, at least for a few hundred students and their teacher/directors, the Saskatchewan Drama Association Provincial Festival is underway! Students from all over the province have gathered to present their already award winning one-act plays, participate in workshops and adjudications, and have a whole lot of fun!

Day 1 certainly got off to a great start. I facilitated a Collective Creation workshop with the terrific students from Swift Current Comprehensive, who all clearly know a thing or two about improvisation. They came up with so many creative and funny ideas, so it was great having the chance to work with them for an hour and a half. I wish I could have been with them longer (say, a week or two) because I know they are more than capable of writing a fantastically theatrical play, all on their own. They were awesome!

After a light supper, the evening session began with the first 3 shows of the festival. And it certainly was an interesting night because the plays could not have been more different from one another; we had a parody, a fantasy, and a heavy drama. Talk about variety.

GREEN MAN by Don Nigro - Presented by Carlton Comprehensive School - Festival 2013 got off to a very serious start (no beating around the bush, that's for sure) with this heavy period drama. I saw this production a few weeks ago in Saskatoon, so I knew that the audience was in for some very mature content. I must say that the actors, despite the racy subject matter, really respected the message, the tone, and the language of the play. It could not have been easy to stand up in front of an audience made up of young people and commit so thoroughly to such a serious play. It's this respect that kept the attention of every single person in the audience from start to finish. The ending was particularly well staged, coming to an extremely dramatic conclusion after the long, slow burn that came before it. A special mention to Lukas McConechy for having such a strong stage presence and scaring the hell out of me at times.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR... by Patrick Rainville Dorn - Presented by Robert Southey School - The cast of this play ranged from juniors to seniors, so the selection of this comedy/fantasy was an appropriate one. It gave several of the older actors a chance to take on the larger roles, with the younger ones offering support in a variety of theatrical ways: as wind, thunder, lightning, etc. The ensemble worked very well together, recreating a variety of fables in ridiculous ways. My favourite idea they came up with was having a live guitarist onstage, who provided music between scenes as well as all of the necessary sound effects. It was a great idea and I know the audience really appreciated his contributions to the script.

HAMLETTE by Allison Williams - Presented by Maple Creek Composite School - What a fantastic way to end the evening! Hamlette is a terrific take-off on Hamlet, with a young lady taking on the title role. Anything goes with this script and the students from Maple Creek sure went for it. The fourth wall be damned, as the actors did everything in their power to include the audience in on every plot twist, physical gag, and dance number. Oh, and did I mention that there was a puppet? Oh yes! And Samantha Tindall, who played both the queen (herself) and the king (the puppet), was a real standout. I know from experience that puppetry is not easy and she nailed her performance. The best part of this production, for me, was that it was clear to see that everyone up on that stage was having a blast. That sort of energy and commitment is infectious, and it certainly had everyone leaving the theatre on a comedy high.

And that was it for the evening! Tomorrow, another workshop in the morning, followed by 2 productions in the afternoon and 3 more in the evening. One of the evening performances is Carrot River Junior/Senior High School's production of my play, Vamp Ire. I am extremely excited to see what they have in store and experience the play with an audience for the very first time! More tomorrow night...

SDA Middle Years Festival: Day 3

Today was the last day of the Middle Years Festival, which I can hardly believe because it feels like it just got started. The day began with playwriting workshops with students from Turtleford, Regina, White City, and Southwest Homeschoolers. The ideas came fast and furious, and I heard several students tell their teachers they wanted to write their own play next year, which is exactly what I wanted to hear!

Following the workshops were the final 3 performances of the festival.

THE DISCOVERY TRUNK by Betty Jane Wylie - Presented by Southwest Homeschoolers - This was a terrific play choice for this group of students, as it allowed them many opportunities for ensemble work. The set was very simple, but the actors created a wide variety of visual images using nothing more than their bodies. Having had the chance to work with these students at my workshop, it became obvious why they were so skilled at tableau creation. At one point in the play the entire cast had to lift an imaginary rock together and they did a lovely job conveying that image to the audience.

THE EXTRA BUTTON - Written and Presented by Ecole White City - This was the third student written collective of the festival, which was so nice to see. I have to admit that I wasn't always 100% sure what was happening during this play, but a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that I was too old to get some of the contemporary pop culture references. The students watching sure enjoyed every second of it, laughing uproariously throughout. One scene in particular had me in stitches: a TV test pattern entered, played by several actors wearing different coloured paper vests. It was a wonderful idea and one that I will remember for a long time to come.

EPIC FAIL by Bradley Hayward - Presented by Turtleford Community School - I saved this one for last, not just because it's one of my plays, but also because I have so much to say about Turtleford's impeccable production. The story begins last year, after I had the great pleasure of watching their phenomenal production of Bad Auditions by Bad Actors at this very festival. I wrote on this blog that I would be thrilled (not to mention fortunate) to have Turtleford select one of my plays some time in the future. Cut to a year later and that's exactly what happened. (Maybe there really is something to The Secret -- I put my wish into the universe and it came true!) Well, let me start by saying their production exceeded all of my expectations. Directed by Grade 12 student Kennedy Lundberg, the scenes flowed seamlessly from one to the next, with comedic invention at every turn. I was especially delighted by the fantastic use of stage pictures to tell the story; as the front of house clinician noted, there were many times during the play that one could have snapped a photo and had a lovely image. What was also wonderful to see was the infectious energy coming from each and every actor on that stage. No matter who was speaking, you could literally feel their energy as it spilled over the footlights and into the audience. For being such a young group (ranging from Grade 4 to Grade 9), their professionalism and creativity was truly a joy to behold. And after having spent some time with the cast and crew, it's clear that a huge amount of that professionalism is the result of Kennedy's tremendous leadership. I've been working with students for a long time and believe me when I say that it is incredibly rare to come across someone so young with so much talent, maturity, and passion. What's more, it was abundantly clear that her confidence rubbed off on her young cast and crew, assuring that the tradition of great theatre from Turtleford Community School will continue for years to come.

The best part of the entire festival for me, hands down, was getting the chance to meet the entire Turtleford crew. After the performances were over, I spent an hour with them all, playing theatre games, taking pictures, and answering questions. I also signed autographs galore, which for 10 minutes made me feel like a celebrity. But what they should know is that they are the rock stars! I don't get to meet the people who bring my plays to life very often, so having the opportunity to meet the truly awesome, totally amazing Turtleford cast and crew is something I will hold dear to my heart for years to come. They should be so proud of their accomplishments, both onstage and off...because I am certainly proud of them.

SDA Middle Years Festival: Day 2

Day 2 at the Middle Years Festival was a huge success! I had workshops in the morning with students from Turtleford, Fort Qu'Appelle, and Vibank. I am always amazed, yet never surprised by what young creative minds are capable of coming up with. For instance, it never occurred to me that when The Hulk rips off his shirt and becomes a monster could be considered a "spaz attack."

After the workshops, there were more performances: a comedy, an original work, a fantasy.

TWICE UPON A TIME by Colleen Neuman - Presented by Pilot Butte School - After having worked with the Pilot Butte students, it was no surprise at all that they were excellent! All of the actors in this fractured fairy tale had scads of energy, annunciated every word, and kept the show running at a lively pace. I was particularly blown away by three young men who played witches around a burbling cauldron. So often in a mini-ensemble like this, all of the actors pick up the same rhythm, but not so with these talented young men. Each had their own personality, which was great to see. The rest of the cast was terrific as well, and so many ages, which means the Pilot Butte drama program will continue to grow.

LIFE AS A STATUE - Written and Presented by Dr. George Ferguson School - I'm never sure what to expect when I see an original play, and this is especially the case when it's written by middle school students. Well, I was totally impressed with Life as a Statue; it had a clear beginning, humorous middle, and poignant end. I was very moved by the message, that art has a very important purpose in this world. Of course I agree, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Front of house clinician Cheryl Scherle made a terrific suggestion that I hope the actors and directors listened to; she encouraged them to keep the script alive, keep reworking it, keep performing it. And I whole heartedly agree. I believe with a little bit of work, they would really turn the play into something people would want to, and should, see.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND by William Simms - Presented by Vibank Regional School - Everyone knows the story of Alice in Wonderland, but this script posed a little bit more of a challenge because it incorporated audience participation into the mix. I liked how confident the actors were, particularly the narrator, as they faced the audience and spoke their lines. Looking into the void and speaking with confidence is not an easy task for an actor of any age, so great job to them for that! I also like that they experimented with different lighting cues. They used specials to focus our attention to select parts of the stage. With time and practice, techniques such as this will definitely come in handy when telling a story.

That's all for Day 2! Stay tuned tomorrow for 3 more plays, including Epic Fail, written by yours truly. I met with the Turtleford students and they are amazing, so I can't wait to see what they have in store!

SDA Middle Years Festival: Day 1

So here I am, back once again in Regina (sunny and warm Regina this time) for the Saskatchewan Drama Association Middle Years Festival. I absolutely love this festival because it gives elementary age students a chance to travel to the big city and perform on the large, professional stage at the University of Regina. Some of the kids here are very small, so I can imagine it's quite overwhelming to set foot on that stage, with catwalks and a fly loft way overhead. Heck, it still overwhelms me at times and I've been doing this for years.

The day started with the first of 6 playwriting workshops I'm running while here. I have long worked with high school students on playwriting, but in the past year I have spent more time focusing on younger students who might need a little nudge when it comes to putting their ideas down on paper. The students from Balgonie and Pilot Butte did not disappoint! They came up with stories, one after another, and acted them out for the entire group. And even though we only had an hour together, they were even able to get some of these scenes down on paper. I was very impressed with both groups.

Now on to the performances. The best part of the festival is that not only do the students get to perform their plays for an audience of their peers, but they get to watch what the other schools are doing as well. There were three shows presented this afternoon and I know that each group learned a lot from watching the ideas the other schools had. And, boy, there certainly were a lot of ideas up on that stage today!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A GOOD DAY by Daniel Odendaal - Presented by Mortlach School - This was an original play, which used poetic monologues to string together a series of contemporary pop songs in order to tell a narrative. I was immediately impressed by the strength of the singing voices of all 10 actors in the ensemble. Because the play was so simple, the director had to rely movement/choreography to tell the bulk of the story. I enjoyed the variety of visual images they created with nothing more than their bodies. At one point a character stood up on a block, which was especially strong, and I think it would have been terrific had they used the blocks in more ways to establish even more powerful stage pictures.

BIG BAD by Alex Strum - Presented by Balgonie Elementary School - I have adjudicated this play on many occasions, so I was familiar with the script. It's so cool to see the same play produced by many different groups because it goes to show you just how many ways a play can be interpreted. In fact, I would love to see a festival sometime where all of the groups produce the same play. I think a lot could be learned from seeing different actors portraying your same role. Anyway, Balgonie did a very nice job, particularly with the costumes. Each of the fairy tale characters looked exactly as they were supposed to look. I thought the Three Little Pigs were particularly funny.

SHOWDOWN AT SAND VALLEY by Ken Mitchell - Presented by Fort Qu'Appelle Elementary School - If there is such a thing as a classic Saskatchewan play, this is it. Performed all over Canada for many years, this over-the-top satire of life in Saskatchewan in 1909 is a show-stopper. I was extremely, extremely blown away by the students from Fort Qu'Appelle, who took on the challenging play and made it non-stop fun from start to finish. The actors portrayed everything, from cowboys to saloon doors to a sewing machine. There was so much creativity on display and their theatrical approach to the material is exactly why I prefer the stage to the movies. Why play a sound effect when you have 10 actors who are perfectly capable of creating the sound of a horse galloping away? Tremendous job, Fort Qu'Appelle!

And that was a wrap for Monday at the SDA Middle Years Festival, but there's still plenty more to come. Three more plays tomorrow and three on Wednesday. But before I close for today, I'd like to send a special shout out to the front of house and backstage clinicians, Cheryl Scherle and Chip McDaniel. Cheryl was my partner in crime when we adjudicated together in Saskatoon last year, so I know just what a talented and enthusiastic person she is. The students are so lucky to have her expertise to draw from, and her encouraging words will surely inspire many kids to stick with the theatre for years to come. And while I have not met Chip, apart from a handshake at least, he is equally encouraging and helpful with his technical advice. The students hang on his every word, which is so fantastic, especially considering how spot-on his suggestions are.

Okay, time to pack it in for the night and get some rest for another big day tomorrow...