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…