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.