Top 5 Provincial Festival 2017 Plays

Nearly a week has passed since the 2017 Saskatchewan Drama Association Provincial Festival in Regina opened with a bang. (Quite literally, if you saw Walter Murray Collegiate’s risqué production of If You Really Love Me...) Every year, the festival is a whirlwind of activity that passes in the blink of an eye, and this time around was no different. While the sets may be dismantled, students back to regularly scheduled programming, and audience members returned to reality after twelve journeys into fantasy, the memories of Festival 2017 will live on for years to come.

Now that I’m back in Toronto, I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon my personal top five favourite productions. By celebrating the breathtaking moments, performances, and emotions I experienced, hopefully my readers that were not able to be in Regina will be transported to the Riddell Centre stage, and those that were in Regina transported back. In no particular order...

THE HOTEL – Hanley School – For the second time in as many years, Hanley School won Best Overall Production for an original play written by Leanne Griffin. Last year they knocked my socks off with the moving drama Dust. This year they tickled those same socks by changing gears entirely and presenting a hysterical comedy. As soon as the spooky green lights came up on a chorus of ghosts dancing to Duke Ellington’s “East St. Louis Toodle-oo,” I knew I was looking at the winner. And the play only got better from there, with a kooky cast of odd-balls causing mayhem in a haunted Saskatchewan hotel. Over-the-top hardly begins to describe the performances because “the-top” in question kept getting higher and higher as one wacky scene after another piled on top of one another. Cast member Lauren Griffin, as the spastic and perpetually unhinged ingénue, was particularly noteworthy. She gleefully flitted about the stage with delirious enthusiasm and double-jointed elasticity, reminiscent of Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman and Kate McKinnon, all rolled up into one. I'm still laughing.

CIRCUS FIRE – Lampman School – Ambitious theatrical endeavour are the three best words I can use to describe this lavish recreation of a Barnum and Bailey circus that was engulfed in flames on July 6, 1944. Written by Janet Munsil and directed by Christine Branyik-Thornton, this was a dazzling production that boldly incorporated every theatrical trick in the book. It was a master class in lighting, sound, pantomime, acrobatics, characterization, set design, staging, and I could go on and on and on. The entire production clearly started with a singular vision, and every choice made was in service of that vision. I found myself giddy as I watched the cheerful opening passages, astonished by the miraculous second act imagery, and trembling during the catastrophic conclusion. I rode a tidal wave of emotions that haunted and delighted me long after the final whiff of smoke rose from the smouldering Big Top.

BEHIND A MICROPHONE – Luther College High School – Written, directed, and performed by the Luther College High School students, and carefully guided by drama teacher Kris Dueck, this extraordinarily ambitious production blew me away as soon as the lights came up on the enormous cast. Seeing such a huge ensemble of actors fill the stage, and remain omnipresent as one vignette after another emerged from among them, was such an overwhelming visual that they hardly needed to speak in order to make an impact. With so many actors, so many scenes, and so many ideas, the production did have a somewhat “messy” quality to it. At times this worked in its favour, while at others it could have used some editing and focus. However, I’m a firm believer in throwing theatrical spaghetti against the wall just to see what sticks, and far more stuck to the stage than did slither away into the pit. I could see there was a truly great play up there somewhere, and yet the writers left it up to each audience member to discover which moments landed, rather than making those decisions for them. In that sense, every single person in the auditorium saw an entirely different play. Whether by design or by accident, that’s what I call an astounding achievement.

MOVING – Kamsack Comprehensive Institute – On its exterior, there is not much to this comedy about five girls getting ready for a date, and yet I was totally smitten with Kamsack’s lovely production. They took a relatively simple play and produced the very best possible version of that play, which is no simple task, and why I fell in love with it at regional festival in Esterhazy. When done correctly, less can be infinitely more. Director Krystal Deveau elevated the play far beyond what’s on the page by incorporating scene changes, special effects, and even a fantasy sequence, all while remaining faithful to the playwright’s intent. I’m not sure if an audience member that had not read the script could fully appreciate all that this company added to the storytelling, but I sure did. Most impressive, however, was the solid connection between the five talented actresses. They seemed to read each other’s minds, rapidly firing off dialogue while tending to inventive physical business that never let up. Their exuberant energy made me smile then, and the memory of all five cavorting around the colourful piñata of a set makes me smile now.

STAGE FOUR – Swift Current Comprehensive High School – This original play, written by director Stefan Rumpel, had such a clever premise that it was able to overcome a few minor technical glitches and clunky scene changes. The high concept idea of a character with stage four Cancer grappling with the stages of grief by playing through the stages of a videogame was expertly embraced by the crew and cast, both visually and emotionally. The realistic world of hospital gowns and IV poles was juxtaposed by an alternate universe of loincloths and laser shields. I was particularly impressed by the awesome costumes and make-up. This production gave the audience two completely distinct worlds in which to lose themselves. I was delighted when they were awarded runner-up to Best Visual Production. By turns hopeful and tragic, through an equal measure of laughter and tears, this production was well played from “Press Start” to “Game Over.”

There are so many other moments and performances that moved and inspired me – among them Karlee Omoth’s astounding portrayal of Holocaust survivor Marianne in Indian Head School’s Goodbye Marianne, the inventive stunts devised by the superheroes in Carpenter High School’s To Be Continued…, the honest and remarkably mature portrayal of teenage sex by Walter Murray Collegiate’s If You Really Love Me..., the visual impact of Vanier Collegiate’s futuristic Match, the super creepy conclusion to LP Miller Comprehensive's Lockdown, the disturbing dream sequence in Kelliher School's The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note, and the exuberant spirit of Pinehouse Lake’s production of my own play Epic Fail.

I could literally keep writing about this for hours, which is why I set a 1,000 word count limit for this blog entry (which I’ve already exceeded). So I will end this here, and start counting down the days to Provincial Festival 2018…

Top 10 Sask Drama Provincial Festival Plays

It’s no secret that the Saskatchewan Drama Association Provincial Festival is the one week of the year I look forward to more than any other. I’m always inspired by the hundreds of eager high school students from across the province that descend upon the University of Regina Riddell Centre to present their one-act plays. This is the tenth year in a row that I’ve attended and it never gets less exciting. Every single time the lights come up on a new production, I’m transported to new places by new faces, and I’m reminded that there is no place I’d rather be than in the company Sask Drama participants. 

In celebration of ten years at Provincials, I thought I would acknowledge ten of the most memorable plays I’ve had the opportunity to experience thus far. These are obviously in addition to the dozens of other worthy contenders that have advanced to the Provincial stage (every production that makes it to the main stage has its merits), but these are just a few of the particularly special productions that continue to move me in various ways whenever I think of them.

THIS IS A PLAY - Sacred Heart High School, Yorkton (2015) - The words favourite and best are words I prefer to not attach to theatre; memorable and exemplary are far more appropriate descriptors for something as subjective as an artistic experience. And yet, all four adjectives apply to This is a Play. Memorable was the moment lead actor Mack Tourand brilliantly shouted "LETTUCE!" in such a surprising, off-kilter way that it brought the house down. Exemplary was the deceptively simple staging by Greg Digout. There was not a single misstep from lights up to lights down, and any playwright worth his salt would be fortunate to have his words directed with such extraordinary attention to detail. Best was the way I felt as the house lights came up after I had been transported to comedic heights for forty minutes of pure hilarity. And Favourite, well, goes without saying.

CONFLICT – Lampman School (2009) – Any play with a cantaloupe as the star attraction is obviously music to my ears. I was so smitten with this extraordinary production because it exemplified the fact that sometimes less is more, and other times more is more. Director Christine Branyik-Thornton walked a very fine tight rope when she hurled her students into this deceptively simple play with many hidden challenges. Taylor Fornwald as the Protagonist took hold of the stage (like a good protagonist should) as a parade of oddballs made her life a living hell, in superlative comedic fashion. I will never forget as she faced Maya Branyik-Thornton, playing an over-the-top Gardener in over-the-top gardening gloves. Nearly a decade has passed and so the details are somewhat fuzzy, but the overall experience is one I will never forget so long as I live.

ROMEO REVISED – McLurg High School, Wilkie (2009) – If less truly is more, then much less is much more when it comes to this Provincial winner. Riley Sittler and Kaitlyn Cey as Romeo and Juliet had truly magical comedic timing in this send-up of Shakespeare’s tale of teen angst. Neither Romeo nor Juliet will kick the bucket, despite endless attempts to take their own lives. On a virtually bare stage, the strong acting and inspired staging showed audiences that good theatre does not necessarily mean three hours of falling chandeliers and flying helicopters. Sometimes all you really need is ten minutes and two actors.

ROSIE – Michael A. Riffel Catholic High School, Regina (2014) – Every now and then a piece of theatre comes along that truly sweeps you off your feet. Rosie is one of those productions that carried me away well beyond the footlights, over the balcony, and up into the clouds. I was humbled by student writer and director Emma Fiorente, who created a piece so magnificent that I still wonder if I could ever create something so marvelous. The memory of the opening and closing moments of breathtaking pantomime still brings tears to my eyes.

VAMP IRE – Carrot River Jr/Sr High School (2013) – I was planning to leave my plays off this list, as not to seem partial in any way, but it would be unfair not to acknowledge not only one of the best interpretations of my work that I’ve ever seen, but perhaps the most electric thirty minutes I’ve ever spent in the theatre. I’m still not sure what exactly happened, or how it happened, or why it happened…I’m not even convinced that it actually happened at all…but the energy in the room was palpable. Every single line of dialogue was received with gales of laughter, followed by even more laughter as the characters reacted to what was said in the first place. I have never seen anything like it, and don’t expect to again any time soon, if ever. I feel so fortunate to have had this experience, as both playwright and audience member. Plus I have two hundred plus witnesses that can verify it actually did happen. I have director Dean Armstrong to thank for elevating the play far beyond what I put on the page.

ELEPHANT'S GRAVEYARD – Luther College High School, Regina (2016) – I had the pleasure of adjudicating this production at the Region 9 festival in Regina, and to see how much it grew from Regionals to Provincials was an example of how a show is never truly frozen, nor should it be. Plays are meant to grow and adapt to new spaces, and Elephant’s Graveyard benefited from expanding its perimeters beyond its original stage to the larger venue at the University of Regina. I will never forget the moment that a large noose descended from the fly loft to hang a circus elephant. It was stunning, it was grisly, it was theatre. Of the highest order.

DOWN CAME THE RAIN – Clavet School (2012) – This was the first play that I sent to Provincials as an adjudicator and I was so thrilled that I was able to give such a small school its first opportunity to perform at the highest level of competition in the province. Down Came the Rain is a very difficult play to pull off because it’s a one hour drama with a lot of dialogue and very little action. This group managed to pull it off spectacularly well because of the chemistry between actors Evan Moyer and Adam Tweidt. They were believable as brothers because of the tight bond they shared both onstage and off. Two handers, or plays with only two characters, are among my favourites to see come to life because they rely so heavily on strong characterizations more than they do cheap theatrics. Clavet got everything right and so it was a real pleasure to see them go on to win Provincials just a few years later with Shuddersome: Tales of Poe.

KILLING BILL – Yorkton Regional High School (2014) – Wacky is not easy to pull off because it can turn into chaos in the blink of an eye. Yorkton Regional’s production of Killing Bill came perilously close to chaos, but managed to ricochet off the proverbial brick wall every time it needed a moment to take a beat and reset itself for another round of mayhem. Director Erin Graas and her cast of kooky oddballs took enormous risks that could have failed miserably. But it’s better to take a risk and fail than it is to play it safe and be average. Thankfully, the risks taken here were extremely successful, and I found myself laughing long after the curtain call.

ADMISSIONS – Cornerstone Christian School, Moose Jaw (2013) – Sometimes a play comes along that starts off slow, draws you in very carefully, and then takes you entirely surprise. This beautiful show did all of those things, and more. Theatre is all about making decisions that build upon the theme of the play. Every single choice, from the set design, right down to the shoes on each actor, was masterfully selected to portray the religious elements of the story without being overtly obvious. The way this play was directed by students Rosalie Donnelly-Rheume and Abby Falk made the audience work a little bit more than most. They didn’t give anything away easily and respected that people have the capacity to fill in the blanks. Those who did the work, and those who filled in those blanks, were greatly rewarded.

DUST – Hanley School (2016) – Last year’s winner, written and directed by Leanne Griffin, is what I would define as an astonishing theatrical event. It was simple on the exterior, yet making something appear so simple is far more complex in the execution than meets the eye. It was a joy to sit in the audience and watch as the acting, the lights, the sound, the costumes, all came together in a way that transported me to another place and time. Endeavour is one of the key elements that the Saskatchewan Drama Association looks for when awarding statues and medals and certificates of merit. Deservedly so, Dust went home with a mantle full of awards. But even more important, the audience went home with hearts filled to overflowing with emotion and a pocketful of memories.

With that, the lights are about to come up on the first play of Provincial Festival 2017! I can’t wait to see what these budding artists have in store for us all, and what might end up on my next list, ten years from now…