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...