DSBN
Schools Take Big Curtain Call at Drama Festival
The
2015 Niagara Regional Sears Drama Festival was a huge success for the District
School Board of Niagara. DSBN schools earned 32 of 38 available honours at the
festival. As part of the 69th
annual Sears Drama Festival, it continued a long history of showcasing and
celebrating student theatre in Ontario.
Jessica
Carmichael, recently appointed Artistic Director of Carousel Players, adjudicated
the performances. As a newcomer to the
Niagara Region, “she was gracious in offering her expertise and guidance to the
casts and crews of each show in the festival,” said Jerome Black, DSBN Arts
Consultant.
At
an awards banquet on Saturday, February 28, 38 awards and honours in various
categories were presented. An impressive
32 of these honours were awarded to DSBN productions, including all three
recipients of the Peltoma Award for Outstanding Productions. These three schools will move on to the
Regional Competition in Windsor, taking place the week of April 7 – 11.
A
hearty congratulations go out to the following DSBN students, staff and schools:
Peltoma
Award for Sears Outstanding Production
- Antigone, Ridgeway-Crystal
Beach High School
- Invisible Wounds, Stamford Collegiate
Secondary School
- We All Fall Down, St. Catharines
Collegiate Secondary School
Best
Canadian Play
- We All Fall Down by Ms. Brenna
McAllister, St. Catharines Collegiate Secondary School
Brock University Award for Best Experimental Play
- The Ocean Mother, collectively created
by Mr. Javier Soyka and Grimsby Secondary School’s students
The
Shaw Festival Award for Most Promising Student
- Sarah MacDonald for her work in
directing, sound, costume, and set for Antigone,
Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School
Mac
Dodge Award for Best Student-Directed Play
- Amelia Trimble for her direction of
Censorbleep, Beamsville District
Secondary School
The
Novelty Fabrics Award for Best Visuals
- The Ocean Mother, collectively
created by Mr. Javier Soyka and Grimsby Secondary School’s students
The
OSSTF Award for Best Play: Social Issues
- Invisible Wounds, collectively
created by Stamford Collegiate’s Drama Students
The
Rita Steeve Award for Best Stage Crew
- Hamlet, Zombie Killer
of Denmark,
Welland Centennial Secondary School
The
Joseph Veyda Award, the Carousel Players Award, and the Sears Stage Management
Award
- Juliette Nedoborski, stage manager of The Ocean Mother, Grimsby Secondary
School
The
Good Egg Award for Cast Congeniality and Enthusiasm
- A.N. Myer Secondary
School
for Showdown at Sand Valley
Sears
Awards of Excellence:
- Outstanding
Dramatic Acting:
- Fox Chamberland as Dodge in We All Fall Down, St. Catharines
Collegiate Secondary School
- Outstanding
Comedic Acting:
- Sebastian Voth as Laertes in Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark,
Welland Centennial Secondary School
- Lily Ayres as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark,
Welland Centennial Secondary School
- Outstanding
Innovation in Storytelling Ensemble Work
- Invisible Wounds, Stamford Collegiate
Secondary School
- Outstanding
Innovation in Contemporary Methods with Chorus Work
- Antigone, Ridgeway-Crystal
Beach High School
- Outstanding
Confessional Relationship with the Audience
- The Most Massive
Woman Wins,
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
- Outstanding
Inspired Dramaturgy from an Original Source
- Invisible Wounds, Stamford Collegiate
Secondary School
- Outstanding
Achievement in Costume Design
- Amanda Naylor for The Long Goodbye, Laura Secord Secondary
School
- Outstanding
Achievement in Make-Up Design
- Kyla Della Gatta for Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark,
Welland Centennial Secondary School
- Outstanding
Achievement in Original Score
- Sophie Chouinard for The Ocean Mother, Grimsby Secondary
School
Sears
Ontario District Awards of Merit
- Notable
Dramatic Acting
- James Fraser as Sammy in We All Fall Down, St. Catharines
Collegiate Secondary School
- The Ensemble of Invisible Wounds, Stamford Collegiate
Secondary School
- Notable
Comedic Acting
- Taylor Peters as Ophelia in Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark,
Welland Centennial Secondary School
- Notable
Classical Text Work
- Austin Wheeler as Hamlet in Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark,
Welland Centennial Secondary School
- Notable
Aged Character Work:
- Caitlyn Haynes as Mrs. McAllister
in Showdown at Sand Valley, A. N.
Myer Secondary School
- Notable
Sustained Character Work
- Karlie Haining as Tandy in Censorbleep, Beamsville District
Secondary School
- Notable
Achievement in Chorus Work
- The Most Massive
Woman Wins,
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
- Notable
Achievement in Collaboration
- Austin Wheeler and Tim Campbell for Health Class, Welland Centennial Secondary School
- Notable
Achievement in Dramaturgical Research
- The Long Goodbye, Laura Secord
Secondary School