Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Sears Drama Festival Regional Showcase

Last night was one of the most incredible experiences, both personally and professionally, of my entire life. By complete happenstance, two of my plays advanced to the Sears Drama Festival Regional Showcase in Bradford, Ontario. And in an even bigger coincidence, both plays were presented last evening, back to back. Considering what an accomplishment it is for schools to advance to Regionals, not to mention that it's a five day event, the fact that I had two plays being presented on the same evening was too great an opportunity to pass up. So I rented a car for the day, drove up to Bradford, and was greatly rewarded with two stellar productions of my work that far exceeded my expectations.

With the hysterical cast and crew of "Lip Service"
St. Theresa's Christian High School
The first of my plays was Lip Service, presented by St. Theresa's Christian High School. Apart from a brief email exchange with the student director earlier this year to approve a couple of changes she wanted to make, I had not been in touch with this group before the showcase so I had no idea what to expect. Well, I was totally blown away! Lip Service is a deceptively simple comedy that has been produced numerous times by both students and adults. It's an easy play, in that it's one set, one story, and none of the roles are very large. However, it's a difficult play to pull off well because of the speed in which it must (or should) be presented. This young cast, under the wonderful direction of Lily Ventura, totally "got" the spirit of the fast-paced dialogue and absolutely nailed the comedic timing from start to finish. Seriously, there was not a weak link in the bunch. I was particularly impressed by the two leads, Randy Baumer and Bailey Thompson. They had the hardest roles to pull off because they must remain relatively sane amidst the cast of crazies that surround them. Both did a remarkable job, resisting the urge to join in on the zaniness. Had they done this, the play would not have been as successful. Their performances allowed the wackos that make up the rest of the cast to truly shine in their roles. All I can say, and this is about the highest compliment I can give them, is that they perfectly captured the free-wheeling fun of a Preston Sturges film, which is exactly what inspired the play in the first place. Now, I'm not sure if the director or any of the actors have ever even heard of Preston Sturges, but his films have always been a huge influence on my comedies, so to be able to see my words and characters come to life in a similar fashion was an enormous delight!

With the incredible "I Don't Want to Talk About It" family
Jacob Hespeler Secondary School
The second play was a complete change of pace, although as the adjudicator so astutely pointed out, also featured characters suffering from mental illness, albeit much more seriously. I Don't Want to Talk About It, presented by Jacob Hespeler Secondary School, was among the greatest productions of my work I have ever had the privilege of watching with an audience. This play has become my most popular, produced hundreds of times across the world, yet I've only shared the experience with an audience a few times. Well, rest assured, I will never forget Jacob Hespeler's extraordinary production so long as I live. They attacked the play with such passion, such focus, such command, that I got lost in the story they were telling and completely forgot I had written it. The characters, of which there are many, seemed so real to me that I found myself emotionally invested in each and every one of them. That is a huge testament to the wildly brilliant ensemble of actors, for I usually close my eyes during my plays and listen to the words, always thinking how I could improve upon what I had initially written. There was no need to do that with this group, as they took my words and improved upon them for me. With such a large cast, and so many roles, it's easy for one or two actors to get lost in the shuffle, or see a vignette that doesn't register. Such was not the case last night. The entire drive home, and well into this morning, I kept thinking back to this character or that actor and reliving their stories as though they were still happening. I truly felt like I knew them, inside and out. All of the actors were so real, and human, that the audience felt free to laugh with them, not at them, and cry in equal measure.

As amazing as the production was, the best part of my evening was, by far, having the opportunity to spend an hour with the students from Jacob Hespeler School and express my gratitude for giving voices to not just the characters in the play, but to all of the teenagers (and adults) in the audience who have something important to say, but may not have the courage to say it. As if often the case with this play, students came up to speak with me privately to confess how this moment or that character touched them because they could relate to the situation. Many told me that the play gave them the strength to "talk about it" with others and, in some instances, even saved their lives. It's not always easy for me to keep my composure during these conversations, but exactly the reason I wrote the play. I am so proud of all the actors in this production -- Brad Golding, Arleigh Burnes, Brandon Fergson, Tara Ferguson, Tristan Greenhough, Sam Haney, Nathan Horner, Joseph Hynes, Jackie Ketchen, Julian Lam, Lauren McCallum, Igor Samarin, and Colin Williams -- and honoured beyond measure to have met them. I would also like to thank director Courtney Wilson for not only selecting my play, and not only for her extraordinary creative vision, but for assembling an ensemble of actors that truly became a family during the rehearsal process. A family that I am humbled and grateful to now be a member. It was obvious they had a special bond, and clear they also realized what a special experience they were a part of, so to be accepted into that family with open arms meant the world to me.

One of the actors said something that really stuck with me, and I'm not sure he's even aware what a huge impact it had on me. "If 100 million people were to see this play, 100 million people would be able to relate to it." I will carry these words with me so long as I live, as a reminder that what I do is important, and continue to give a theatrical outlet for those teenagers out there with voices -- huge voices -- that deserve to be heard.

To everyone I met last night, everyone involved with the Sears Drama Festival, and everyone in the audience for becoming part of my extended family, thank you.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Region 1 SDA Festival: Awards

Congratulations to Lampman School! Their production of THE MOUSTACHE won Best Overall Production and will be headed to Provincials in Regina this May. I look forward to seeing how the provincial audience reacts to the terrifying final moments of the show. The audience in Carlyle was screaming with fright, so I can only imagine an audience twice the size will roar.

The adjudicators ran through the list of awards quite quickly, so I was unable to write them all down. However, here are a few of the main awards that were handed out:

Runner-Up to Best Overall Production went to Redvers' production of MISS BETH. Best Visual Production went to Moosomin's 27 REASONS NOT TO BE IN A PLAY. Best Technical Production was awarded to Lampman's THE MOUSTACHE. The Mary Ellen Burgess Award for best actor/actress was given to Kaley Aime for the role of Samantha in MISS BETH. I thought she was extraordinarily creepy in the play, so this was certainly well deserved. In addition, here are the awards my 3 plays snagged over the weekend:

SELFIE
Acting Medal: Emily Klatt for the role of Laura
Technical Medal: Desiray Weber for sound
Acting Certificate of Merit: Daysha Smith for the role of Tyrese
Acting Certificate of Merit: Megan McAuley for the role of Morgan
Technical Certificate of Merit: Jasmine Pylatuik for crew
Unsung Hero: Brook Zacharias

TEACHERS ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Bob Hinitt Award for Technical Excellence: Payton Hannem for directing
Best Stage Manager Runner-Up: Payton Hannem
Acting Certificate of Merit: James Forester for the role of Jordan
Technical Certificate of Merit: Drew Fleck for lighting
Unsung Hero: Payton Hannem

SMARTY PANTS
Most Courteous Cast and Crew
Acting Certificate of Merit: Judah Wardrope for the role of Dallas
Acting Certificate of Merit: Kyle Bye for the role of Taylor
Acting Certificate of Merit: Jillian Hietanen for the role of Casey
Acting Certificate of Merit: Anna Doty for the role of Blair
Technical Certificate of Merit: Brittany Rowe for prompter
Unsung Hero: Kyle Bye

Congratulations to all of the schools and students who participated in this year's festival! It was a terrific weekend of plays and I know for a fact that everyone involved had a great time. I'd also like to extend my thanks to everyone in Carlyle for the warm welcome, particularly Darcy Howe, Kevin Dyck, Dean Zacharias, Justine Stephanson, Rae Nicoll, and Shannon Klatt. They treated me like a VIP all weekend and I hope they know how much I appreciate their support and encouragement.

Now I have a few weeks off before I'll be back in Saskatchewan once again for the Middle Years and Provincial Festivals, May 5-10. Hope to see you there!

Region 1 SDA Festival: Day 3

The final session of plays at the Region 1 SDA Festival is complete, with the final 2 plays going up this afternoon. Both were comedies, which was a nice way to end the festivities.

TEACHERS ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN by Bradley Hayward - Arcola High School - Teachers going totally insane seems to be a theme that runs through many of my plays, but never so evident as in this one. The Arcola cast seemed to be having a lot of fun up on the stage bringing the nutty teachers and bemused students to life. It was nice to see one of my outright comedies on the stage, especially since I've seen more of my "serious" comedies in the past year than the farcical stories I once wrote exclusively. A few of my high school friends attended the performance today and they all told me they saw a few quirks from our old teachers in the characters. That made my day, and is a huge compliment to the Arcola cast.

HAIRBALL by Lindsay Price - Lampman School - Director Christine Branyik-Thornton always goes full tilt for every production she works on and this was no exception. I have seen this play several times before, but I have never seen the titular "hair" done with such humor and creativity. There had to have been at least 20 inventive wigs created for the show, each one bigger and more outlandish than the one that came before it. Seriously, it is obvious that a lot of work went into each one of them and the result was absolutely stunning. The visual aspect of the show was the best I have ever seen for this particular play. Even better, the acting was equal to the wigs and it was clear the audience appreciated all the hard work that went into this very fun production.

I was able to have yet another ice cream Blizzard at Dairy Queen after the performances (my 4th in the last 3 days...which is probably 4 too many) with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. It was great to catch up with them and hear what they thought of all the plays. Now there are a couple of hours to wait before the banquet and awards ceremony. Stay tuned to the blog and I'll be sure to update you with the results!

Friday, April 11, 2014

Region 1 SDA Festival: Day 2 - Evening

Three more plays closed out Day 2 of the Region 1 SDA Festival, and quite a variety of styles they were. The audience was treated to a dark comedy, a political satire, and a dramedy about teenage life.

SELFIE by Bradley Hayward - Gordon F. Kells High School - This play is one that means a lot to me because so many of the issues addressed hit very close to home. Yet I worked hard to make avoid the play becoming an "issue drama," but rather a human drama. Each character has their own struggle, and while some these struggles may appear to be greater than others, what each individual is dealing with is to them just as valid as the next. The actors did a marvelous job bringing light and joy to all of the serious situations, which only served to enhance the drama. I also loved the beautiful scenic design and thoughtful, simple staging. The less is more approach had just enough variety to keep the story advancing dramatically, and I appreciate that the directors resisted the temptation to add more than was necessary. Perhaps I am biased, but I thought it was a lovely, solid, and moving production.

MISS BETH by Don Zolidis - Redvers School - Talk about a 180 degree change of pace! This dark take-off on Macbeth had a lot of funny moments and creative staging. I really enjoyed how the cheerleading scenes were accomplished, not to mention the simple but effective use of color in the costumes. There were also a number of standout actors in the show, most notably Kaley Aime, with her wickedly hilarious and evil grin, and Basi Kgobisa, whose energy radiated off the stage and had the audience in stitiches.

THE MOUSTACHE by Davis Alianiello - Lampman School - This very challenging, very political satire had a lot to offer an audience, although it required a huge leap of faith on the part of the actors that they would get all of the symbolism and historical references in the text. I was impressed to see the young cast really go for it, especially in the later passages of the play that dealt with the complete annihilation of Planet Earth. It was certainly startling how they used light, sound, and actors to portray such a catastrophic event. I know I was scared when that final KABOOM ended everything. It's rare to be frightened by a play, but this production certainly scared the hell out of me. That was clearly what they were going for, so mission accomplished.

Region 1 SDA Festival: Day 2 - Afternoon

Today got off to a great start at the Saskatchewan Drama Association Region 1 Festival! There were 2 plays this afternoon, but before they got started I was thrilled to find my Auntie Donna, Auntie Bev, Auntie Joan, and friend to the family Evelyn in the audience. We had a nice visit before the plays began and then another afterwards over ice cream Blizzards at Dairy Queen. I'm also part of a scavenger hunt taking place for the drama students, so I was hunted down by several dozen teens to pose for group photos with them. I hope to track down the pictures so that I can share them with you here. Such fun to hear "Mr. Hayward, we need your picture!" And now a little bit about the 2 plays this afternoon!

DOG FLEET by Rory Panagotopulos - Oxbow Prairie Horizons School - This is one bizarre play and I loved how the cast really bought into the science fiction elements of the story and never held back for a second. High concept, high energy. There were some very strong senior actors in this play and they kept the audience's interest from start to finish. The production was also very visually beautiful. It had a great set, fantastic costumes, and phenomenal make-up. With such a strange storyline, it was cool to see how the audience really stayed with the play and it was obvious from the laughter that they appreciated seeing something so original up there on the stage.

SMARTY PANTS by Bradley Hayward - Gordon F. Kells High School - Many of the students in this play have never acted before so I was extremely impressed with their energy and charactarizations! This play was written to be an educational piece so that young actors can work together as an ensemble. One of the themes of the play is "teamwork" and the kids did such a great job working together. This is especially true for a scene involving a jump rope, written specifically to be a physical challenge on stage, and they pulled it off wonderfully! I was also thrilled to see each actor commit to their character and they all had very distinct personalities. I can see these kids moving forward in drama and really developing into awesome thespians. It was an honor to see them hit the ground (or stage, as it were) running in one of my plays.

I'm excited to see the festival continue this evening with SELFIE, MISS BETH, and THE MOUSTACHE. More on those later!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Region 1 SDA Festival: Day 1

Earlier this evening, the Region 1 Saskatchewan Drama Association one-act play festival started off with a bang, with two laugh-out-loud comedies. Let's get started!

HOW TO KISS A GIRL by Wade Bradford - Oxbow Prairie Horizons School - Student director Mackenzie Warriner did a nice job keeping this very funny show moving along at a steady pace. It was quick without feeling rushed, nicely acted, and featured a truly wonderful technical element that still makes me smile. One of the characters is a recordered computer voice (think Siri) and OPHS did a phenomenal job recording it or mixing it or altering it or whatever they did to achieve it, because it sounded absolutely authentic and was so funny that it stole the show.

27 REASONS NOT TO BE IN A PLAY by Alan Haehnel - McNaughton High School - I can think of dozens and dozens of reasons not to be in a play that I could write about, but Alan Haehnel beat me to the punch and wrote this fast paced ensemble comedy. Actually, there are well over 50 reasons in the various renditions of the play, but McNaughton plucked 27 of their favorites and brought them to life. I was impressed that McNaughton had a totally different approach to their play this year. I am used to them building huge, beautiful sets, but this year they scaled back the set to nothing but black blocks and instead created beautiful stage pictures with the actors themselves. And there were a lot of actors up there, so they had plenty of options and took full advantage of them all.

It looks like more laughter is on the way tomorrow afternoon. At 1:00pm: DOG FLEET from Oxbow Prairie Horizons School and SMARTY PANTS from Gordon F. Kells High School. Then at 7:00pm: SELFIE from Gordon F. Kells High School, MISS BETH from Redvers School, and THE MOUSTACHE from Lampman School. I can't wait!

2014 Region 1 SDA Festival

The 2014 Region 1 Saskatchewan Drama Association one-act play festival kicks off tonight in Carlyle at 7:00pm! I'm so excited to be there to cheer on the students from all 9 productions. Here is a schedule of all the plays:

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 7:00PM
HOW TO KISS A GIRL - Oxbow
27 REASONS NOT TO BE IN A PLAY - Moosomin

FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 1:00PM
DOG FLEET - Oxbow
SMARTY PANTS - Carlyle

FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 7:00PM
SELFIE - Carlyle
MISS BETH - Redvers
THE MOUSTACHE - Lampman

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 1:00PM
TEACHERS ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN - Arcola
HAIRBALL - Lampman

Both plays from Carlyle (Selfie and Smarty Pants) and the one from Arcola (Teachers on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) were written by me, so while I love seeing plays by any playwright and by any school, it's definitely extra exciting to see one's own work come to life. I can't wait to see how they play before a large audience!

I'll be blogging about each play as the festival moves forward, so check back here and on Twitter @haywardplays for updates. And if you're in attendance, I sure hope you'l come find me to say hello. See you there!

Monday, April 07, 2014

Region 2 Festival

Well, the 2014 Saskatchewan Drama Association Region 2 Festival in Moose Jaw has drawn to a close and all I can say is that the experience was truly amazing. The wonderful people at A.E. Peacock Collegiate gave me a warm welcome and the warm welcomes continued as I met all the talented students and teachers from Cornerstone Christian School, Vibank Regional School, Vanier Collegiate, Canora Composite School, and Riverview Collegiate.

Of course I enjoyed watching the productions -- and they were all entertaining! -- but the best part for me was getting to spend time with each school in our adjudication workshops. One hour is never enough, especially for someone like me who gets excited when the students start inspiring even more creative ideas than what I had written in my notebook. I know that on more than one occasion, a student or teacher would say something that would lead me on an unexpected road of creative exploration. Thankfully I had many inventive students who were more than willing and ready to go down that road with me. It's been two days since the festival ended, but I'm still laying awake at night thinking, Oh man, I should have said this! or If only I had time to try that! Here's hoping each school has a chance to take what advice I had to offer and apply it toward a future performance.

I'd like to once again congratulate all of the students who participated on a job well done! My biggest hope is that each student returns to their home school proud of what they accomplished up there on that stage. I'm also looking forward to seeing Him & Her, winner of Best Overall Production, for a second time at Provincials in May. It's always interesting to see how a play grows and develops over time, and Vanier Collegiate's beautiful production is sure to make a strong impact at the Provincial level.

Now I am gearing up for the Region 1 Festival this weekend in Carlyle. This time I get to sit back, relax, and enjoy the productions. Although that's nearly impossible, considering how nervous/excited I get when watching one of my plays come to life. I'll be posting about all 9 plays, including 3 written by me, as the festival commences on Thursday. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Drama Time in Saskatchewan

The years just seem to fly by faster and faster, as it's time once again that I'm traveling to Saskatchewan for drama festival season!

First up, I'm the front-of-house adjudicator at the Saskatchewan Drama Association Region 2 festival in Moose Jaw this weekend. From April 3-5, hundreds of students, teachers, and parents from Moose Jaw and surrounding areas will gather together to present 8 one-act plays. I'm thrilled to be adjudicating this particular festival, as all of the schools competing are known to produce truly exceptional work. In fact, last year's Provincial champ, Admissions, came out of this region. The plays are an interesting mix of comedy and drama, old and new, published and original. I've read each script several times over so I know them fairly well, but I can't wait to see them brought to life. The productions rarely ever look like what I had envisioned, which is why I love the theatre so much. It's amazing how a director's interpretation of a certain script varies from what I see on the page. The plays are as follows: Him & Her (Vanier), Snow Globe (Vanier), The Romancers (Canora), Born to be Wild (A.E. Peacock), The Substitute (A.E. Peacock), Wanted: One Groom (Vibank), Baby (Riverview), Booby Trap (Cornerstone). I've judged a couple of these plays before, but I'm excited to see them all anew. The best part, and what I'm most looking forward to, is being able to meet the students involved and offer what expertise I can to further strengthen each production. I always learn a thing or two myself from the students, so I'm eager to see what they all bring to the table...or the stage, as it were. I know it's going to be an awesome 3 days of theatre!

Next, I'm thrilled to be traveling back to my hometown of Oxbow. The Region 1 festival is taking place April 10-12 in Carlyle, which is just a short drive from where I grew up, and I will have the extreme good fortune of seeing 3 of my plays in competition. Smarty Pants is being presented by Gordon F. Kells Junior Drama on Friday, April 11 at 2pm. This comedy was inspired by my sister, who is the best teacher I know because of how much she loves her job and students, and I'm delighted to have the chance to see such a young cast bring the play's zaniness to life.  Later that same say, at 7pm, Gordon F. Kells Senior Drama will be presenting Selfie. This is a brand new play that I wrote specifically for this group of actors and I'm absolutely chomping at the bit to see how they bring the characters to life. Many of the actors in the cast are graduating, and they've been in a handful of my plays over the years, so it was important to me that I send them off in with an important play with an important message. They've been keeping me updated throughout their rehearsal process, while also keeping many of their choices a surprise/mystery, but from what I can tell so far, they are all very committed to making it the very best it can be. I'm so proud of these students and know they will do a great job. Then on Saturday afternoon, at 1pm, Arcola High School is presenting Teachers on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I have yet to see this play with an audience, but it has quickly become my most popular play this year, so I'm really looking forward to sitting back and (hopefully) watching the sparks fly. It's one of my sillier plays, and Arcola did a phenomenal job with another of my goofy plays a couple of years back (Note to Self), so I'm sure it will be a hoot! The other plays being presented are: The Moustache (Lampman), Hairball (Lampman), Dog Fleet (Oxbow), How to Kiss a Girl (Oxbow), Miss Beth (Redvers), 27 Reasons Not to Be in a Play (Moosomin). Region 1 is another region that consistently has strong productions (Lampman's excellent showing of Boy Meets Girl was runner-up to best production at Provincials last year), so I'm geared up for another excellent roster of plays this time around.


Naturally, the very best part of traveling back to Saskatchewan is getting to reconnect with so many of my friends and family. While I love living in Toronto and all it has to offer, there is nothing quite like coming home and feeling the safety that comes from knowing exactly where you are and how it shaped the person you've become. My family means the world to me and I'm most looking forward to spending time with them and sharing the experience of my plays together. I'm so proud of what I do for a living and I hope by seeing my plays they will realize what a huge impact they've had on me since the day I was born. A writer writes about what inspires them, and my family inspires me, so I hope they see pieces of themselves, and the influence they've had on my life, up there on the stage.

Check back for updates as the next 10 days unfold!