Mercury rises to the occasion at the South Island Zone Festival.
The Cowichan Valley's Mercury Players theatre troupe didn't just take the stage at the South Island Zone Festival in Ladysmith with their productions of Constellations and Brontë: The World Without they also took home numerous awards.
Jordi Mand's Brontë: The World Without, directed by Sylvia Swift, took the stage on May 16. It was awarded 'Outstanding Production', which means Swift, her crew and cast (Genevieve Charbonneau, Julia Lalonde, Zoe Nickerson and Dan Lecky) are all moving on to the BC Theatre Mainstage Festival in Fort St. John which runs from July 6 to 12.
"Going to Mainstage is an honour and a gift of learning," said Swift. "It’s a wonderful opportunity to get constructive feedback from professionals, helping us tweak and better our craft."
Brontë: The World Without, which delves into the struggle and survival of the Brontë sisters, also received awards for Outstanding Director, Outstanding Set Design (Kimberly Liptrap), Outstanding Light Design (Lorne Seifred), Outstanding Ensemble, as well as Artistic Achievement in Props Design (Angela Beltane, Margie Pringle and Katherine Reid), and Artistic Achievement in Costume Design (Shauna Clinging).
Swift said it has been 10 years since there was a South Island Zone festival, and it was a delight to be a part of it. She noted this year's adjudicator Tamara McCarthy was very kind and positive.
"The highlight was a smooth tech, where we all pitched in and did our jobs in a new venue and adapting for the actors, I felt very proud to be working with such a capable team," said Swift. "I enjoyed seeing the other productions and getting to meet our theatrical neighbours. We are envious of them having their own space and it was a chance to make connections and see how they run things. We hope to collaborate on some workshops next season, I hope the success of this year’s South Island Zone Festival can help it grow further with more participants every year. The awards are a nice affirmation but the best part was watching other people receive them. It’s emotional to see the kindness and glow from being recognized for doing good work."
The stars also aligned for Mercury Players' production of Constellations in the award department and being recognized for good work. Written by Nick Payne and directed by Adrian Ingham crew members Ingham, Kathy Yewell, and Gary Powell were awarded Artistic Achievement in Technical Delivery of Concept. Sarah Knight (Marianne) was awarded most Outstanding Actor in a Female Role, while her cast mate Jessica Mattin (Ronnie) was awarded Artistic Achievement by an Actor in a leading role. Ingham said with having a bit of time to polish things up, and an audience full of theatre lovers it made for a great experience with Ladysmith being the perfect host.
"It was a brilliant final performance," said Ingham. "The awards were lovely, but for me the best experience was seeing the audience response.”
“It feels amazing to have received this award," said Mattin. "It has been months of really hard work and to have that recognized means so much to me.”
"It was a huge honour to win the award," said Knight. "I felt like Jess and I worked very hard at our roles, and it paid off. As a first time festival participant, I absolutely loved the experience, everyone was so friendly and supportive, and I hope to work with Ladysmith Little Theatre and friends again in the future."
Ladysmith Little Theatre did not just receive kudos from their peers for being an outstanding host, they also took awards for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role (Kim Watts), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Bruce Ormond), Outstanding Costumes (Frances Raftis), Outstanding Work by a New Stage Manager (Kristen Lane), Artistic Achievement for Managing Multiple Roles (Anne Dougherty) Artistic Achievement for Innovative Transitions (Alan Holmes, Frances Raftis, Rebecca Baglo, Poppy Harper and Trevor Cooper), and Artistic Achievement for a Lifetime Commitment to Community Theatre (Bruce Mason).
Brontë will be given the opportunity to attend a private workshop with an adjudicator which will be held on June 12. To help fund their way to Fort St. John, Brontë: The World Without has schedule three more performances, one by donation on June 26, one on June 28 that will double as a fundraiser with a silent auction, and a final one on June 29. They will be at Duncan United Church beginning at 7:30 p.m.
One last hurrah on July 8 at the Mainstage will be regular admission, but further donations will be gladly accepted.
