They are among the biggest awards that high school actors can earn, and the annual Sears Drama Festival for the Upper Grand District was held last week here at Erin District High School.
Sixteen plays were presented by 11 different schools. The outstanding productions in this year’s festival were from St. James Catholic High School, John F. Ross CVI, both of Guelph, and Erin.
The productions were:
– Unknown Dimension, by Harry Penson, by St. James Catholic High School;
– Tuesdays and Sundays, by Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn, presented by Erin; and
– Property Rites, by Alan Haehnel, presented by John. F. Ross.
Centre Wellington District High School’s Taylar Dobbie was given the outstanding stage management award for Poodle With Guitar and Dark Glasses.
Awards of excellence for local students actors included:
– Rebecca Young, as Jade, in Poodle With Guitar and Dark Glasses – Centre Wellington District High School;
– Maurena Taylor, as Violet, in the same production;
– Derek McGill, as Gray, in the same production; and
– Josh Mishaw, as Kyle MacManus, in Property Rites – John F. Ross.
For directors, the winners were:
– Megan Brush and Alison Purdon, co-directing Unknown Dimension, St. James Catholic High School.
Design and technical, the winners were:
– Jessica Sweeny, for costume design in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) – Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School;
– Katrina Maxted and Jake Strang for set design and dressing for Tuesdays and Sundays, Erin District High School;
– Alix Vander Vlugt, for lighting design and technical direction in Here Comes the Bribe – Guelph Collegiate-Vocational Institute; and
– Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School for outstanding visual achievement (scene painting, costumes, make-up) in Competition Piece.
The winning ensembles were:
– the cast of Check, Please, for acting excellence – Erin District High School;
– the cast of Stroke Static for ensemble performance and choreography – Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School;
– the cast of Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson, for tight, fast-paced comic timing, Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute; and
– The cast of Competition Piece for ensemble acting (creation of 22 detailed believable characters in a play).
