This is a Play is not just a play, but the best play, after Sacred Heart High School Drama Club won the Region 4 Drama Festival. The production took home outstanding production, as well as the top acting award at the festival, The Mary Ellen Burgess Performance Award for Mack Tourand for the role of Male Actor.
Gregory Digout, the play’s director, describes it as an absurdist piece. It’s about three actors – Male Actor, Female Actor and Older Female Actor – performing a play that is actually quite terrible, but the audience is able to hear the actor’s inner thoughts.
“The actors are juggling two things at once. They’re doing the blocking of the real play, but they’re speaking what’s inside their head as they are very sarcastic about how stupid the play is, and what they think of the other actors and so we hear an interior monologue at the same time as they are acting out the play.”
While he had wanted to do the play for a few years, Digout says that he felt this year was the right time because the drama club had actors who are gifted with physical comedy, something that the play needs to really work. He has great praise for his actors, with Tourand getting praise for his ability to command a stage even while doing very little.
“He stands still, silently, for as long as he can... Essentially he stands there doing nothing, and you laugh at him, and he holds it for the longest time and it seems like an eternity, but instead of getting bored they just laugh louder at him... He’s got a pretty remarkable comedic talent. Then, he has other moments in the play where he’s going crazy in terms of the physicalness of what he’s doing, and his physical comedy is hilarious but he also combines it with excellent comic timing.”
Casey Shields, who plays Older Female Actor was also singled out for praise, and Digout says that her role, which contrasts against the crazier parts, is challenging in a different way.
“Being a straight man amongst all the laughter can be a real challenge too.”
The play has a small crew, with only a single box on set, but Digout says that they still have a challenging job, especially in sound and light, and he says that the strong team is important for making it work.
Taking home the top prize means Sacred Heart will be travelling to provincials on May 7-9. The drama program has had success in the past playing against the best in the province, winning best overall production thee times in the past dozen years. The ten plays at the festival are all winners, however, so Digout expects to see some great performances from the other schools.
“We’ll be seeing some high quality work there.”
The Sacred Heart Drama Club has been dominant on the local level, with thirteen wins at the Region 4 Drama Festival in the past fourteen years. He says that it’s a case of success breeding success, as kids come into school knowing that the drama program is something the school is proud of and that people want to get involved in, something that not every school can boast, especially when recruiting male actors. He also believes it’s something that the area helps with, as things like theatre programs, school concerts and an active dance scene make kids ready to get on stage.
“I think we have the benefit of a really vibrant arts community in Yorkton. We’ve got kids that come to our school already having a wealth of experience through various things... We’ve got kids that are comfortable on stage, and that comes across.”
Before they go to Provincials, the Drama Club will put on a performance for the community on Sunday, May 3 at 8:00 p.m. for free at the Sacred Heart Theatre.
