The Vancouver Island one act play festival, hosted by the ECHO Players at the Village Theatre, saw the Nanaimo District Secondary School Dance Company earn Best Production.
But local performers and groups got their share of accolades as well.
The Vancouver Island Juried One Act Play Festival ran from Nov. 7 to 11, with performers from Courtenay, Nanaimo, the Parksville Qualicum Beach area and elsewhere take part.
Performed on Nov. 8, the Nanaimo school dance company’s award-winning performance was called Terezin (written by a teacher and their students).
The performance, directed by Kelly Barnum, was the story of Holocaust survivors told through dance.
Locally, Kerry Campbell won the Best Female Actor in a Lead Role award for a performance of All on Her Own by Terence Rattigan. It tells the story of Rosemary who, alone at midnight in London, has a secret burden to share that is both heartbreaking and sinister.
The Best Ensemble award went to Tracks, a one-act play by Peter Tarsi and performed by the ECHO Players Youth Group. The play follows 10 people from all over the country who find themselves in a signle subway station after their deaths. They are faced with a profound decision: do they get on the next train without knowing where it goes.
Other awards included:
- Best Director: Brian Mather with Courtenay Little Theatre
- Best Original Script: Terezin
- Best Male Actor in a Lead Role: Gordon McInnis with Yellow Point Drama Group
- Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Eileen Pope with Qualicum Beach’s Geri Actors
— NEWS Staff, submitted by Sue Murguly