The 2012 Peace River Zone Theatre Festival, May 15th – 20th, 2012, has local community plays competing in this year's Theatre Festival. Adjudicator Josue Laboucane will be selecting one of the Plays to represent the Peace River Zone at Theatre BC's Mainstage competition in Kamloops this coming July.
Josue is originally from Fort St. John and now enjoys a successful acting and directing career in professional theatre. As a career actor, he works with Carousel Theatre and Bard on the Beach in Vancouver. He spent last summer playing King Henry in King Henry VI: The Wars of the Roses at Bard on the Beach. Josue has family in Fort St. John and is bringing home his theatre expertise to share with local thespians.
There will be three exciting plays competing from clubs Stage North and The Spectacular Chair Factory, along with two showcase plays from North Peace Secondary School.
The Festival Schedule is:
May 15th Acting Workshop with Josue Laboucane – 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in Theatre
May 16th Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad by Michael Melski - Director, Dallas Ashdown
May 17th Dog Sees God by Bert V. Royal – Director, Chalene Scott
May 18th Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman – Director, Rob Laventure
May 19th North Peace Secondary Showcase Plays followed by the Awards Ceremony
All shows are at the North Peace Cultural Centre in Fort St. John. Box Office opens at 6:30 PM with all shows at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available online at tickets.npcc.bc.ca or at the NPCC Box Office, 250-785-1992.
For more information, please contact Dale Hillman, Festival Chairperson at 250-793-6715 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Once the class clown and storyteller, Blair Scott is still casting spells many years later. Blair directed the recent award winning production of “Fuel” by Jerod Blake which won the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival and is now gearing up for the provincial theatre competition.
Blair says that, “Theatre is telling stories and it is fun to see the reactions of the people who see the plays.” Reactions can be good, bad, sad, or joyous, but theatre moves people to react in some way because theatre reflects life. He says, “It is like telling a good joke but the reaction lasts longer.” However, there is little humour in the powerful stage production of “Fuel”.
As a long time actor and director with Stage North, Blair chose “Fuel” for the Theatre Festival because it personifies addiction. His own personal journey in watching his alcoholic parents struggle daily with the disease helped him to guide the two actors , Gilles Francoeur and JP Wood, through the intense and emotional script. “I first saw the play when Fort St. John hosted the Can-West Playfest a few years ago.” said Blair. “I knew then that this was a story I could relate to and so can many people in Fort St. John. We have all been affected by addicts who are friends, family, or friends of friends.”
Blair has worked in the oilfield since he was 19 years old. He is the area supervisor for Terra Energy Corp. in Fort St. John. Terra Energy’s major focus of production is in and around Fort St. John so Blair is directing oilfield work on a daily basis and directing actors on stage in the evening hours. He feels that acting is beneficial for everyone in any field of work. It builds confidence, teaches you to take risks in life, moves you out of your daily routine, builds new friendships and it is just plain fun.
Both of Blair’s children are making careers in theatre. Chalene recently graduated from Capilano University with a diploma in Acting for Stage and Screen. She is on a theatre tour with her fellow thespians performing at Fringe Festivals across Canada. They will end their tour in Fort St. John and conduct a Theatre School for Stage North at the end of August. Zac was accepted into theatre school last fall at Studio 58 Langara University. Blair was pleasantly surprised that Zac had learned many techniques that helped to make “Fuel” an even better production. Returning for the summer, Zac assisted with the last few weeks of rehearsals with “Fuel”.
“Fuel” will play once more in Fort St. John as a fundraising event on June 24 at the North Peace Cultural Centre. This is a last chance to see the play for those who missed it during the Peace River Zone Festival in May. In July, the cast and crew will pack up the set and costumes and travel to Mainstage in Kamloops for the provincial competition. They will complete among the 10 zones in the province and take part in educational classes on acting, directing, technical aspects of theatre, set and costume design and more.
Blair has future plans with Stage North. Once done with “Fuel” after Mainstage, he will be looking for a cast and crew for the next production he is directing. The February show of the Stage North 2011-2012 season is “The Good Game”, a comic look into the locker room at a hockey game. It is the championship hockey team coming back 20 years later for a reunion. Anyone who has played the sport will see themselves on stage as the dressing room capers unfold. As an avid fan of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and a hockey player himself, Blair is sure to be very involved in “The Good Game”.
The Peace River Zone Festival has wrapped up for another year and we have the results here:
Newbie : Joel Laventure
Best Ensemble: Kingfisher Days
Best Technical: Kingfisher Days ( Dave Truscott)
Best Set: Kingfisher Days
Best Costumes: Kingfisher Days (Catherine Ruddell)
Best Director : Fuel (Blair Scott)
Best Supporting Actress : Claire Temple (Death)
Best Actress: Melanie Truscott ( Kingfisher Days)
Best Supporting Actor : JP Wood (Fuel)
Best Actor : Gilles Francoeur (Fuel)
Runner Up Best Production : Kingfisher Days
Best Production : Fuel
John Barry Award : Blair Scott
I make my living listening to music, and working with bands on multiple levels while working for an artist management company and record label. I model and paint; while I have recently started doing amateur stand-up comedy when I’m not reading my poetry in front of crowds (eek!) or trying to get said poems published- which is a lot harder than it seems.
Come out to support and take part in Fort St. John's theatre scene! Find out more information about the plays and players at Peace River Zone Theatre Festival on Northern Groove and get your tickets at the North Peace Cultural Centre.
If you feel the same way and want to share why you think theatre is awesome and why people should support the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival, let us know! Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Steven Andrews talks theatre, writing a play, and encourages you to attend the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival because it's cool.
Theatre has always been the main focus of my life ever since I can remember. I can honestly say I think about it every other minute of the day. All these ideas and crazy possibilities are always floating in my mind. I am now 22 and have finished a fine arts degree with a major in drama. I have been involved in over 20 shows. I am a dreamer. My goal to infect and move people with my ideas from the stage .Why should I limit myself by doing other people's scripts? The limits of theatre are...limitless; the things you can create on stage can be magical.
I think many people have this idea that there are rules to what can be done on stage and how they are supposed to be. THERE ARE NO RULES. I have been inspired by my amazing professors and by the shows that I enjoy. With that inspiration I have decided from now on to create the type of shows that I enjoy and that I believe the younger crowd would enjoy as well.
Now, about my show.
It was early March, and I was living in Camrose, Alberta at the time. I had just finished my degree and was working at the time. I knew there was a local theatre festival going on, basically the Alberta equivalent of the festival that is going on now in Fort St john. It was a zones festival and the winner of it goes to Lethbridge to compete against all the other 7 Alberta zones for the best production in the province. I wanted some experience creating and performing my own work so I thought it would be a good idea to enter this thing. I had this idea of adapting some old nursery rhymes into my own twisted bizarre story for quite some time. So I talked to 2 of my buddies, Nathan Huisman (who I acted in University with) and my old friend Vance Smith (a pal of mine since elementary school). I told them I was going to write a wild show for the three of us where we would all play about five characters each. I really wanted to play with the idea where we would portray all of these different characters and see if we could get away with it. They were quite interested in doing this show with me. So I wrote this show in a little over a week and we had two weeks to memorize it. We met up and rehearsed the whole thing in just one week in my basement. We ended up winning best overall production! In addition, the adjudicator could not decide who to give best actor too, so he just gave it to all three of us.
We will now take this show to Lethbridge for the Alberta Drama festival on May 20-21st to compete for best Alberta production.
Now for everyone who missed it in Alberta, you can check it out this weekend at the North Peace Cultural Centre Saturday night at the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival after the 7:30 production of Erin Hanna's "Nodes & Ties".
Falling Down The Well: Nursery Rhymes Retold
Written and directed by Steven Andrews
Cast:
Steven Andrews- Narrator, Jill, Georgie Orgy, Gaurd #2, Mom, Lamb
Nathan Huisman- Narrator, Father, Little Bo peep, Little Miss Muffett, Gaurd #1
Vance Smith- Narrator, Jack, The Spider, Mary
Stage Manager- Simon Andrews
See classic nursery rhymes retold in a way you will never forget. Be prepared to experience a high energy sweat show full of love, tears, death, laughter, a spider, imaginary nudity and of course 80's music.
WARNING: This performance contains adult themes and language.
So, what could have resulted in the death of this year's Peace River Zone Theatre Festival ended up being saved by.....Death.
Perhaps a little bit of an explanation.
This year's zonefest needed one more play or the "show may not have gone on" to quote some theatrespeak (or musician speak depending on who wants to take credit for it). Death director Claire Temple, who was already involved in another production for the Fest (Kingfisher Days, Friday night....go see it) would have none of that. So in a scant week to week and half she sourced a script, secured sponsors, and put together an incredible cast of high school students (young adults, as they informed us during the public critique, and rightly so) to perform Woody Allen's "Death". Toss in a couple weeks of high speed rehearsals, and voila....a much needed play to make sure the Fest carried on.
And their efforts were well worth it. All in attendance at Thursday's performance can agree Claire Temple's directorial debut deserves much merit. Add in some great performances by a cast of twenty, including a standout Joel Laventure in the lead role of Kleinman and you have the makings of a witty, well executed (no pun intended) take on classic Woody. The theme this year seems to be "minimalist set pieces" and a backdrop of a door, a bench and a couple lamp posts were all the performers needed to create a mood and an environment.
North Peace Players cast and crew, you all deserve every bit of applause you received for Death.
More about Death
Join the cast and crew and adjudicator Colin Legge Friday between 10am and noon at the NPCC theatre for a "coffee critique" of the production. Hands on yays and nays, good, bads, this, that and the other thing will be discussed all with one purpose in mind: make the performance the best it can be. Having attended Thursdays critique of Fuel, I can say the time spent was quite interesting and informative. No matter your level of interest in theatre (from actor to spectator), Colin is a pleasure to listen to as he dissects a production and works with the cast and crew to pull out a strong performance.
More Festival
Stage North presents Susan Coyne's Kingfisher Days as part of this year's festival Friday night at 7:30. If you missed the performances last week...no excuses! Coffee Critique with Colin Legge is Saturday 10am-noon.
The Grizzly Valley Players Nodes and Ties wraps things up Saturday night, written and directed by Erin Hanna of Tumbler Ridge. And we'll also be treated to a special performance of Steven Andrews' Falling Down the Well before the awards presentation Saturday night.
If you have not experienced live theatre in Fort St. John, you are truly missing some incredible works of art. Make a night of it! See you at the show(s).
I have always loved theatre - musicals are my favorite but I really love any form of telling a story. I was homeschooled until grade 11 so I didn't have the opportunity until later in my life to experience being a part of the theatre world. Interestingly enough, my first drama experience ended up being about as hardcore as one can get. Telling people you got a part as a lead male character and dressing in drag will get you some funny looks. The experience of being part of a dramatic production, an artistic team and a cultural family is invaluable in my opinion. So check out the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival, get a taste of the world of stories and support someone's theatre experience.
Come out to support and take part in Fort St. John's theatre scene! Find out more information about the plays and players at Peace River Zone Theatre Festival on Northern Groove and get your tickets at the North Peace Cultural Centre.
If you feel the same way and want to share why you think theatre is awesome and why people should support the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival, let us know! Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
As I sit in a little coffee shop here in Fort St. John, it occurs to me that not many people may go see the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival, and that saddens me. In a time where Hollywood is pushing for realistic “3D” , people don’t seem to realize that 3D entertainment has been done - and done well - years before James Cameron envisioned Avatar. With the festival you not only have the opportunity to be amazed, but amazed by friends who you never knew had it in them. And through them, or a complete stranger, you may come to learn something about yourself that you never knew before . So, go ahead, take a chance, go experience live theatre and watch a show - in 3D - a the North Peace Cultural Center this weekend.
Come out to support and take part in Fort St. John's theatre scene! Find out more information about the plays and players at Peace River Zone Theatre Festival on Northern Groove and get your tickets at the North Peace Cultural Centre.
If you feel the same way and want to share why you think theatre is awesome and why people should support the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival, let us know! Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Being a local musician I've always thought it strange that in a town like Fort St. John, that embraces the music community so whole heartedly, we can't make time to enjoy our local theater productions. I can't imagine performing and putting myself out there on that big stage, and have only 30 people show up. After being in such a successful production as Chicago the Musical last fall, I have felt an obligation to support my fellow actors. And not just show up and support them but to learn, and laugh, and grow with them. We have extremely talented people in our community and we should be lifting them up and encouraging them, so come out and support the Peace River Zone Theater Festival!
Come out to support and take part in Fort St. John's theatre scene! Find out more information about the plays and players at Peace River Zone Theatre Festival on Northern Groove and get your tickets at the North Peace Cultural Centre.
If you feel the same way and want to share why you think theatre is awesome and why people should support the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival, let us know! Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
