SDA Provincial Festival: Day 1

The 2014 Saskatchewan Drama Association Provincial Festival got off to a big start today as students from around the province poured into the Dr. William Riddell Centre at the University of Regina. My day started with a feast at the director's luncheon, where I was thrilled to be in attendance as my high school drama teacher, Jackeline Rutledge, was honored with SDA's Lifetime Achievement Award for all of her contributions to educational theatre in Saskatchewan. This award could not have been more deserving. Mrs. Rutledge (as she will always be known to me) always encouraged me to follow my dreams and talents, and without her I know for a fact I would not be where I am today.

After the luncheon I had a phenomenal time working with students from Moose Jaw, Swift Current, and Yorkton in my brand new playwrighting workshop, "iPlaywrite: Collaborating Via Social Media." It's a brand new workshop for me so I was unsure how it was going to turn out, but I had a blast with the students and was amazed at all the creative ideas they came up with in our time together. The concept of this new workshop is for students to collaborate on writing a new play with other students via social media. Currently I have students in Toronto writing a collective with students in Houston, using social media outlets such as Twitter, Skype, Instagram, Vine, and Facebook to share their ideas with each other. It's been going so well that I decided to see if I could get the senior students at the Provincial Festival to collaborate with the junior students I worked with earlier this week at the Middle Years Festival. Using ideas, characters, photos, and videos generated by the juniors, I challenged the seniors to come up with scenes and monologues that built upon the information that was provided by people they had never met. The results were incredible, and if you stay tuned to the blog, I will post some video clips from our afternoon together to Facebook and Instagram. (First I need to secure a decent internet connection that's a lot faster than the turtle-slow connection provided by my hotel, but I promise it will be worth the wait!)

If that wasn't enough, there were four productions in the evening. And, boy oh boy, what a variety of plays they were.

THE TROJAN WOMEN - North Battleford Comprehensive High School - Anyone who has seen as many plays as I have will have undoubtedly seen one or more adaptations of this story, so I had an idea of what to expect going in. So it came as a nice surprise to see some thoughtful and unexpected ideas brought to this production that made it stand out from the others I have seen. What I enjoyed most was the addition of two live musicians onstage. Using a select, but well chosen, number of instruments, they really helped the transitions between scenes and allowed them to occur without going to blackout. Anyone who knows me knows how much I despise pretty much any and all blackouts. In fact, I have a new play coming out later this year titled "Blackouts Are Bad." No blackouts here and I know the audience also enjoyed the visual elements of this production, the costumes in particular.

THE MOUSTACHE - Lampman School - This so-over-the-top-that-you-have-to-look-down-with-binoculars-just-to-see-the-top dark comedy had the audience by the throat from the second the lights went up, and never let go for its entire 50 minute running time. This is a difficult play to describe because it morphs from a pleasant comedy into a dark, dark, dark satire that involves mass murder, world domination, and finally, nuclear warfare. There was a lot of theatrics at play, and when I say "a lot," I mean A LOT. It was fun to be a part of such a hot crowd, and you could really feel the shift from laughing along with the characters to feeling slightly uncomfortable for wanting to laugh because the subject matter was so disturbing. Yet we all continued to laugh in spite of ourselves, which I think would have made playwright Davis Alianiello very proud to have written a script that zinged so many nerves.

HIM & HER - Vanier Collegiate - I had the great privilege of adjudicating this play last month at the Region 2 Festival in Moose Jaw, so it was wonderful for me to see how a play continues to develop and grow over time. In the four weeks since I last saw it, small yet significant changes were made to the original script by Keyanna Burgher that improved the production exponentially. I loved the play when I saw it the first time, but tonight it had a shiny and professional polish that took my breath away. Jake Heisler and Emily Herridge as the title characters are exceptional actors who are able to make an audience both laugh and cry, sometimes within the span of a single sentence. They are both so honest, so genuine, so natural, that you really believed their characters existed in the real world. And better yet, that you knew them. I have to admit that I lean toward the "less is more" school of theatre, and this production knew exactly what the script required and resisted the temptation to add any unnecessary bells or whistles. The result was a deeply moving portrait of two people in love that had me smiling through tears.

PANDORA - Hanley Composite School - I was told this was the third time this original drama by Hanley's director Leanne Griffin has advanced to Provincials, and it's easy to see why this would be the case. The script provides a number of creative challenges for both actors and technical crew, and everyone involved in this production certainly faced those challenges head-on. One of my personal favorite theatrical conventions, and one I have used several times in my own plays, is a chorus that remains onstage throughout a play, providing constant support to the main characters in the story. The chorus of five girls in this production were very strong and always "present." They definitely added energy, power, and humor to the otherwise serious plot.

With that, Day 1 at the SDA Provincial Festival is in the history books. It was a long day, but one filled with laughter, tears, creativity, and more than a little craziness. I can't wait to see what tomorrow has to offer!

Time Capsule

I was floored when a Canadian high school drama teacher got in touch with me and asked if I would mind being the subject of an entire unit in her Grade 10 drama class. A requirement of her curriculum is to study a Canadian playwright, and after years of studying the likes of Robertson Davies and Merrill Denison, she felt it was time to mix things up and introduce her students to a contemporary (not to mention living) playwright. She happened upon one of my scripts (Split) and thought my point of view would grab the attention of the students in her class. Needless to say, I was thrilled by her request and more than happy to oblige.

Seeing as I am alive (and relatively well, at least compared to Davies and Denison), the final assignment of the unit was for the students to pair up and get in touch with me via email to ask me one question that they could then turn into a visual presentation. I have to say that it's pretty cool that there will be a dozen or so posters all about me on display in some school foyer where I have never been!

Anyway, some of the questions I got were the usuals ("How did you start playwrighting?" "Where do you get your ideas?"), but one of the groups asked a particularly thoughtful question that I thought warranted a blog post unto itself.

YOU HAVE WRITTEN A LOT OF PLAYS. IF YOU COULD ONLY PUT ONE INTO A TIME CAPSULE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE? AND WHY?

At first glance, this is a variation on the old question, "Of all the plays you've written, what's your favourite?" This question is, obviously, a tough one to answer (impossible, really) because each play is special to me and the most important thing in my life at the moment I am writing it. However, this question had just enough of a twist on it that I immediately had an answer. I knew exactly what play I would want in a time capsule and, although it may or may not be my favourite (like I said, I have no favourites), it does represent a large part of who I am as a writer and, even more-so, a person.

SIXTEEN IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS

Perhaps I'm cheating a little, considering this play is actually made up of ten separate 10-minute plays, but if you read the play as a whole you will discover that they are not separate at all. Not only do the characters overlap, but the themes connect in a way that (I hope) paints a clear picture of my personal outlook on life.

I bring up the subject of "theme" because I am often asked what the themes are of each of my plays. I love turning that conversation around and asking students what they think the themes of my plays are. While there are no wrong answers, their answers rarely line up with what I had in mind as I was writing. For instance, Split could certainly be classified as "a play about divorce." But it's actually a play about love and all of its various permutations. Divorce was simply the hook upon which I hung stories about characters who are afraid of love, embarrassed by love, embracing love, etc. Similarly, I Don't Want to Talk About It could be considered "a play about silence," but it's actually a play about listening.

 

This brings me to the theme of Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less. All of the characters in the play are sixteen years old, which is the hook I used to create this play. But "a play about being sixteen" is not the play I was interested in writing. I wanted to write a story about a group of teenagers who are not quite kids anymore and not quite adults either. Thus, the theme of the entire play became "Not Quite."

FRIEND REQUEST - Not quite friends.
DOUBLE CLICK - Not quite attractive.
BRACE YOURSELF - Not quite smart enough.
LAZY EYE - Not quite normal.
FIREWORKS - Not quite in love.
PAY PHONE - Not quite trusting.
BENCH WARRANT - Not quite popular.
WHEELS - Not quite independent.
TUMBLEFUR - Not quite understood.
STATUS UPDATE: A SYMPHONY - Not quite ready.

Another reason I am fond of Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less, and why I've chosen it as the answer to the question in question, is the variety of styles I was able to include under one title. I pride myself on being able to write a serious drama one day and a laugh-out-loud comedy the next. It may come as a surprise (it does to me) that I wrote Lip Service, a wacky farce, the same week I finished I Don't Want to Talk About It, a much more serious play about suicide. Likewise, Split and They Say... were both written in a span of two days. If you take a look at them side by side, they could not be more different. One is a seriocomedy made up of very short vignettes that span a year, while the other is a straight forward situation comedy that takes place in one place and one time. I never want to write the same play twice, so I always try to take a brand new approach with my work when I'm staring a new play after finishing another.

Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less was fun to write because I was able to hit on a wide variety of theatrical genres. Among others, it includes an ensemble piece (Friend Request), a comedy duet (Brace Yourself), a drama (Wheels), a monologue (Tumblefur), an absurd comedy (Pay Phone), a fantasy (Lazy Eye), a romance (Fireworks), and a choral piece (Status Update: A Symphony). My idea was to keep the audience on their toes by never allowing them to be quite sure what's coming next. I was also conscious to make sure each individual play could stand on its own in the event it is performed as a stand alone production. I believe I succeeded in doing these things, or at least I hope that's the case. I've always told myself that a belief is the end result of a hope, and by hoping that each characters gets what they want, I believe in them. To that end, I say: mission accomplished.

So while I could proudly pick out any one of my plays to put in a time capsule, right now -- today -- I would select Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less. And I could not be more honoured that the rights to this play are carried by Theatrefolk. Founders Craig Mason and Lindsay Price understand better than anyone I know what teenagers are thinking of, dreaming of, and made of, which is exactly why they have done such an incredible job nurturing the play. In the two years since publication, it has slowly discovered a large and passionate audience of teenagers and adults who have repeatedly let me know what an impact it has had on audiences. It means the world to me to know that it has touched the lives of so many people.

To read a preview of any or all of the plays included, visit Theatrefolk.

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.

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!

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.