Published: Lip Service

I'm very happy to report that my one-act comedy Lip Service has been accepted for publication by Playscripts, Inc! This script has been produced at the middle school, high school, university, and community theatre level, so I'm very excited that it will be represented by one of the top play publishing companies in the world.

I expect it to be released this summer, so check back for updates and I will let you know when scripts and production rights can be ordered!

"Nobody says what they mean to get what they want. Especially when it comes to love." - Laura

Troubleshooting

I just added a brand new play to my website! This comedy features a flexible cast, short scenes for easy rehearsal, and terrific character opportunities for strong actors.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Gender flexible cast of 6-20
Running Time: 25-35 minutes
Setting: Area staging

Synopsis: What's the best way to get out of trouble? Motivational speakers Ken and Barbie have just the answer in their latest lecture series, "Troubleshooting for Teens." What starts out as a few harmless tips for teenagers in trouble, including tap dancing as a way to avoid detention, quickly turns dangerous when Ken's advice grows increasingly delusional as the evening wears on. Barbie's own troubleshooting skills are put to the test when Ken loses his mind and starts encouraging the audience to take the law into their own hands. Barbie soon discovers that trying to get out of trouble might be more trouble than it's worth!

Please visit www.bradleyhayward.com and follow the links to read a preview!

SDA Provincial Festival: Awards & My Picks

I wasn't going to write about what my personal award selections would have been this year because that's not what drama festivals are really about anyway. They are a celebration of each others' work and an opportunity to learn from theatre professionals. I know for a fact that all of the students learned a great deal from the two fantastic adjudicators, Patrick French and William Hales. I spoke with many actors and crew members who said that they are leaving the festival with a great deal of knowledge that they will use to improve their productions in the future. That's definitely what I like to hear!

That said, I've received several emails and a surprising number of web hits in the last hour requesting that I share my personal choices. I certainly don't want to disappoint my readers, so I'm happy to oblige. But before I do, congratulations to everyone at the festival for a job well done, and extra kudos to all those who were awarded with certificates, medals, and trophies. Here goes (and remember, these are my opinions only)...

MY PICK FOR BEST OVERALL PRODUCTION: Down Came the Rain
MY RUNNER UP: The Regina Monologues

AWARDED BEST OVERALL PRODUCTION: The Most Massive Woman Wins
AWARDED RUNNER-UP: Power Play

MY PICK FOR BEST VISUAL PRODUCTION: Schoolyard Games
MY RUNNER-UP: Lost Connection

AWARDED BEST VISUAL PRODUCTION: The Most Massive Woman Wins
AWARDED RUNNER-UP: Schoolyard Games

MY PICK FOR THE CHALLENGE CUP: Power Play
AWARDED THE CHALLENGE CUP: Power Play

MY PICKS FOR ACTING MEDALS (4):
Kris Dreger, The Regina Monologues
Evan Moyer, Down Came the Rain
Adam Tweidt, Down Came the Rain
Angeline Stankewich, Schoolyard Games

AWARDED ACTING MEDALS (4):
Bailey Lemcke, Schoolyard Games
Evan Moyer, Down Came the Rain
Darnell Kwiatkowski, Power Play
Megan Brooks, The Most Massive Woman Wins

I always find it interesting how two people can have such vastly different opinions. This proves how every single production at this festival should feel proud for having made it this far, regardless of the outcome.

I would also like to take a moment to point out a few more actors that really stuck out in my mind...

OUTSTANDING ACTING: Jean van der Merwe (Lost Connection), Trevor Poole (With Regard to Cooper Clawson's Conscience), Hilary Glasser (With Regard to Cooper Clawson's Conscience), Justin Bradley (With Regard to Cooper Clawson's Conscience), Jordan Bradley (With Regard to Cooper Clawson's Conscience), Emily Hammer (The Most Massive Woman Wins), Megan Brooks (The Most Massive Woman Wins), Michelle Hettrick (Hairball), Chantal Normand (Hairball), Bryce Rode (Competition Piece), Kirk Johnson (Competition Piece), Conor Lazarou (The Regina Monologues), Holden Greggains (The Regina Monologues), Annie Trussler (The Regina Monologues), Bailey Lemcke (Schoolyard Games), Danielle Hansen (Schoolyard Games), Amy Lynn Philpott (A Little Something for the Ducks), Greg Kraska (A Little Something for the Ducks), Dakota Laliberte (Robbing Hood), Darnell Kwiatkowski (Power Play)

I could go on and on and on and on. So to all the students at the festival, thank you for the great weekend of theatre and congratulations on a job well done. I can't wait to do it all again next year!

SDA Provincial Festival: Day 3

Just as quickly as it sneaked up, the 2012 SDA Provincial Festival has drawn to a close. The last two plays could not have been more different, which was a nice way to close out the festival.

ROBBING HOOD by Tim Kelly - Presented by Rossignol High School - The cast of this show could not have had more energy if they tried. Sometimes that energy made it difficult to understand what they were saying, but it was so infectious that the audience stayed with them right up to the end. For a first time director, it was a very strong showing and I hope they continue to develop the drama program in Ile a la Crosse so that they can come back even stronger in the future.

POWER PLAY by Lindsay Price - Presented by Porcupine Plain Comprehensive School - This play about teen violence is a tricky one to pull off. The five actors in this show were very committed to the material they were given and gave it 120% from lights up to lights down. I appreciated the use of tableaux throughout the production and the sound design was also very well done. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for tackling the raw subject matter with maturity.

The awards ceremony is at 6pm and I'm sure there are several hundred students on the edge of their seats waiting to find out the winner. Drum roll please...

SDA Provincial Festival: Day 2

Today began with a collective creation workshop that went extremely well. The students from McNaughton and Cornerstone had a lot of creative ideas and the short scenes they came up with in just an hour were really quite good. It's always a pleasure to work with talented students and this group of 40 had talent to spare. Their energy started the day off on a good note and I used that adrenaline to keep me going throughout the day. There were five plays today and they were a nice variety of comedy and drama.

DOWN CAME THE RAIN by Burgess Clark - Presented by Clavet Composite School - I had the great fortune of seeing this play a month and a half ago at the Region 11 festival. It's always nice to see a play twice, especially after some time has passed, because you get to see how it continues to develop with each performance. The two actors in the play, Evan Moyer and Adam Tweidt, rendered me completely speechless today. Their mature and thoughtful performances seemed to flow so naturally out of them that I never once caught them "acting." Pair those performances with some truly superlative direction and inspired technical choices, and it's no surprise that there was not a dry eye in the audience when the lights faded to black. Beautifully executed theatre.

COMPETITION PIECE by John S. Wells - Presented by James Hamblin School - This is probably the twentieth time that I've seen this play (at least), in addition to having acted in it when I was in high school. I pretty much know this play inside and out, so the fact that this production managed to come up with a few ways to make the play surprising is a huge accomplishment right there. Rather than having the actors who play the one-act play festival judges appear live, they were pre-taped and projected on a giant scrim. It was a very neat idea and I would like to speak with the director to find out how she thought of it.

THE REGINA MONOLOGUES by Michel Chammartin - Presented by Campbell Collegiate - This original script by the director was very funny and definitely a crowd pleaser. The material was all centered around what it's like to live in Regina, which is where this festival is taking place. Of course a play that hits so close to home is bound to be a big hit with the audience. I loved the brisk pace of the production, with spot lights flashing on and off at a break neck pace to illuminate the ensemble as they rushed on and off to present their monologues. The ensemble worked really well together and avoided all of the pitfalls that often trip up actors when it comes to performing monologues. It was lively, fun, and polished.

SCHOOLYARD GAMES by John Lazarus - Presented by Sacred Heart High School - One of the very first plays that I tried to write when I was 13 or 14 was a complete rip-off of this impeccable script. I loved the play then and I still love it now. While times have changed and 8, 10, and 12 year olds definitely don't act like they do in this play anymore, the basic theme of the play is timeless. The three actresses in the play were very strong and kept the material light without neglecting the darkness that lurks underneath the surface. In addition, the set was definitely something to behold. The action took place on an intricate jungle gym, complete with monkey bars and a slide. When the curtain opened up, there was an audible "wow" from pretty much everyone in the auditorium...and for good reason. It looked really nice and the director (who always does a nice job) took full advantage of its many levels.

A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE DUCKS by Jean Lenox Toddie - Presented by Vanier Collegiate - This script is probably on my list of top 10 favorite one-acts. Something about the interplay between its two characters (an elderly man and woman) speaks to me and tugs at my heart strings. I also love that Ms. Toddie's play focuses entirely on its characters, allowing actors to really sink their teeth into the material. The two actors in this production did a nice job embodying what it's like to be elderly (although when this was written, 70 was clearly a lot older than it is today). In keeping with their simple production values, there was obviously a deliberate choice to rely on movement rather than make-up to convey the age of the characters. There was some controversy around where I was sitting about the lack of old age make-up and gray hair, but I rather liked the decision. Unless it's done perfectly, painted on wrinkles and baby powdered hair can become distracting. For the most part, the two actors were able to use their movements to convey what make-up would have done more easily. It was a nice challenge for two performers who were definitely up to it.

SDA Provincial Festival: Day 1

The 2012 SDA Provincial Festival is officially off to the races after four productions this evening. All of the plays seemed to go on without a hitch, so let's jump right in...

LOST CONNECTION by Kay-Lynne Collier - Presented by North Battleford Comprehensive High School - This was an original play, written by a student who also happened to be the stage manager. Any time there's an original script in a festival, I have to hand it to the playwright for having the guts to put their own work on display in a competitive setting. Kudos to the director for all of the theatricality in the staging. An ensemble of actors portrayed the inner reason and fear of the main character, and their choreography definitely made a strong impact on the audience. I also appreciated the visual design of the show; it was simple, but effective. I especially loved the bright white table on stage, which they used in a number of interesting ways.

WITH REGARD TO COOPER CLAWSON'S CONSCIENCE by Bryan Starchman - Presented by McNaughton High School - By far, this was the most technically challenging show of the evening. They had a tremendous number of lighting and sound cues, in addition to a set that transformed into a surprising number of different locations, and everything ran smoothly from one cue to the next. A special mention to Trevor Poole for his humorous portrayal of C.C. and Justin and Jordan Bradley as the two nerds. They really had the audience in the palm of their hands from start to finish. And you have to appreciate a show with not one, but two hysterical dance breaks.

THE MOST MASSIVE WOMAN WINS by Madeleine George - Presented by Swift Current Comprehensive High School - This is a very mature play that was appropriately handled by its four young actresses (who were also the co-directors, by the way). While not specifically a monologue play, there are a lot of monologues in the piece, which poses quite a huge challenge for actors of any age. The fact that high school actresses bravely tackled a play with extremely emotional monologues is reason enough to be impressed. My favorite moment of the play came when the characters changed clothes behind four mobile screens; I wish there had been more variations in the setting like that one because it was very unexpected and you could feel the audience react positively to the variety.

HAIRBALL by Lindsay Price - Presented by Rosetown Central High School - This is a deceptively simple vignette play, until you look at all the technical requirements. Or rather, costume requirements. Or even more specifically, wig requirements. Holy wigs! Wigs, wigs, wigs, wigs, and more wigs. The director must have looted every Merle Norman in Canada to outfit her large cast with all the wigs that are required to pull off this show. I also have to point out the lovely painted backdrop of a forest. Clearly a lot of work went into this scenic element, so I was pleased to see it used several times throughout the play. My favorite scene in the play is a monologue by a crazed hairdresser named Gladys and Michelle Hettrick had the audience in stitches with her strong comedic timing.