From far left to right are: Bailey Gravelle, Erin Funnell-Kononuk, Jesse Gutwillinger, Olivia Dudley. Submitted photo.
Two local Near North District high schools will be representing all of Northern Ontario at the Sears Ontario Drama Festival in Hamilton next weekend. The All-Ontario festival runs May 6 to 9 at Sir John A. MacDonald Secondary School in Hamilton.
It features a dozen of the best high school stage productions in the entire province according to a news release issued by the drama group.
West Ferris Secondary School earned a top spot on the provincial stage with its production of Pals, and Almaguin Highlands Secondary School did the same with Elephant’s Graveyard.
"We’ve been awarded the opportunity to perform at the largest secondary school drama festival in Canada," said director Allan MacAskill, dramatic arts teacher at West Ferris Secondary.
"It’s a wonderful opportunity for our kids to watch and participate with hundreds of other successful candidates at this prestigious festival."
“Pals” is a dark-comedy featuring a small cast tackling the complicated relationship between two private-school boyhood friends.
Adjudicator Terry Tweed credited actors Bailey Gravelle and Jesse Gutwillinger for their “give and take as actors” and presented them each with an award of excellence for their performance.
“Elephant’s Graveyard” is a lavish production that takes place underneath a big-tent circus in middle-America in 1916, and tells the true story of the tragic death of a circus elephant that provides an analogy of the human condition.
The entire cast of Elephant’s Graveyard received an award of excellence for their ensemble work.
"The Ensemble award is recognizing the cooperation and team work that all student drama groups try to achieve," said Allison Green, Almaguin's drama teacher, "it's that much more of a challenge and achievement when you're working with a group of 29 students!"
Schools from Kirkland Lake, Timmins and North Bay, including St. Joseph-Scollard Hall and Widdifield Secondary, also competed at the regional festival at École Secondaire Catholique Algonquin this past weekend.
Begun in 1946, with just three plays, the "Sears" Festival now has approximately 350 entries annually.
More than 12,000 students and their dedicated teachers are involved annually in the celebrations, garnering some 500 Awards.
These include Scholarships and Bursaries awarded to students pursuing careers in both performing and technical Aspects as well as playwriting bursaries and internships with professional partners
Each year students and teachers from across the Province work diligently to create new and exciting theatre to share with their peers, families, friends and communities through the three levels of the Festival – District, Regional and Ontario Showcase.
This high school drama festival is the largest and oldest of its kind in North America and has among its alumni David Cronenberg, Des McAnuff, Cassie Levy, Guy Sprung, R.H. Thompson, Sky Gilbert, Rachel McAdams, Yanna McIntosh, and Seanna McKenna.
