The Sacred Heart High School (SHHS) Drama Club was unable to translate its Region 4 success at the provincial festival this past weekend.
The local Catholic high school qualified for the Saskatchewan competition with “This is a Play” which won Best Overall production at the Region 4 Drama Festival April 23 to 25 in Kamsack.
Written by Canadian theatre stalwart Daniel MacIvor, This is a Play is a play about a play in which members of a troupe expose their thoughts about themselves and others while rehearsing to put on a play.
Directed by English teacher Greg Digout, the SHHS kids competed against winning productions from ten other provincial regions.
According to Digout it was very well received by the audience.
“The cast had an excellent performance,” he said.
“We were a huge hit with the crowd. It would almost not be hyperbole to say that the laughter from the audience shook the rafters of the theatre. As a director, you prepare your students and hope they can perform well, and my cast and crew hit a home run. I was very proud. There is no doubt the festival audience loved the show, but you never know what the adjudicator will think.”
Unfortunately for the Yorkton cast and crew, front of house adjudicator Kenn McLeod did not choose the play for any of the major awards.
“I thought This is a Play was one of three excellent shows that were the class of the festival,” Digout said. “Two of the three finished first and second, so apparently the adjudicator had a similar opinion of the other two plays, but didn’t see our play in the same way I did. I was disappointed for my students, but the two plays that did win were certainly deserving of the awards they received.”
The Best Overall Production Award was given to Clavet School for its production of Shuddersome: Tales of Poe. Vanier Collegiate from Moose Jaw finished Runner Up to Best Overall for Romeo Revised.
The SHHS Drama Club did not come home empty handed, However.
Mack Tourand was awarded a Certificate of Merit for Acting Excellence for the role of Male Actor.
Sam Lohnes won a Certificate of Merit for Technical Expertise for Live Sound, and Cassidy Kowall earned the same award for Hair and Make Up.
Casey Shields was selected by her Digout as the play’s recipient of the Debbie Baker CHEER Award, presented to the student ‘without whom the Drama Club would not be the same, and who exhibits the qualities of Cooperation, Honest Endeavor, Enthusiasm, and Respect.
