Hours and hours of dedication and commitment led Gordon F. Kells Drama Club to a solid performance and success at the Region 1 Drama Festival held in Moosomin on Apr. 1 and 2. Members of the Drama Club earned an exciting second place finish for performance of their play "Anonymous." The club presented two plays at the competition, the second of which was entitled "For Whom The Tinkerbell Tolls."
The club started looking for plays before Christmas and got to work in January casting, practicing and preparing for the competition. On Monday, Mar. 28, the Drama Club opened its performance to members of the community beginning with the elementary school in the afternoon, and finishing the day with a full-house at Carlyle Memorial Hall. The performance gave members of the cast a chance to perform in front of an audience, and the public a first glance into the hard work and time the students have devoted to both plays throughout the past three months.
The youth showed the community just what they could do with two excellent performances that had the crowd laughing as a result of witty commentary and in deep thought regarding the challenges portrayed by the cast. Not only were the performances a success, but the fact that the youth challenged themselves to two distinctive plays with over two-thirds of the cast playing an active role in both plays, showed the determination and commitment they have to their club.
The winning act of Anonymous started with the cast frozen and the spotlight on Rachel Corrigan, the lead actress in the play. She starts the play stating "Just Me. I'm the one in the back, or middle, or front... that you don't always notice. Don't feel bad - no one does." The drama goes on to explain the challenges faced by teenagers at one point or another. It tells the story of a teenager trying to fit in, best friends and the obstacles they face, the kid in the corner with a secret unsure about whether to tell anyone, love interests, and a group of individuals that are just trying to belong. Alongside Rachel Corrigan, key roles were played by Nickolas Schmidt, Emily Klatt and Brooklyn Zacharias. Fellow cast members also included Brianna Beatty, Santana Pylatuik, Kady Reaves, Bjorn Rekken, Cody Slykhuis, and Tavia Williams.
The comedy "For Whom The Tinkerbell Tolls" told a story of Snooks Beacon, played by Cody Slykhuis, who thinks his afterlife is taking a turn for the better when he discovers an abandoned theatre to haunt. That is until the One in Charge, played by Megan McAuley, accuses Snooks of interfering with the living for fun, and orders him to work as the Grim Reaper for 48 hours. A computer-generated list sends Snooks on a search for three people equipped with 'death dust' and dressed in a Tinkerbell outfit as a result of a mix-up at the drycleaners. A glitch in the software brings out the One in Change of the One in Charge, and the play offered lots of laughter for those watching the story unfold. Additional cast members included Jordan Gudmundson, Nickolas Schmidt, Emily Klatt, Santana Pylatuik, Kady Reaves, Bjorn Rekken, Daysha Smith, Brittany Vogel, Tavia Williams and Brooklyn Zacharias.
The hard work of a number of individuals made the play successful. 21 members made up the cast and crew with individuals both acting and working behind the scenes. Marijke Meyer worked as the prompter with Mariah Blohm and Jasmine Pylatuik assisting backstage. Chantal Day and Chelsea Humphries were stage managers, with Tenille Rutten and Cole Grimes working the lighting and music. Directors of both plays included Kevin Dyck, Darcy Howe, Justine Stephanson and Dean Zacharias.
