MMMBETH WINS REGIONAL DRAMA FESTIVAL!

This was passed to us by Louise Kearley from Mount Pearl Senior High School in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. Congrats to everyone involved!

MMMBETH WINS REGIONAL DRAMA FESTIVAL! St. John’s, Newfoundland

](http://www.flickr.com/photos/theatrefolk/2651040464/)On April 22nd the drama club of Mount Pearl Senior High School competed in the Avalon East Regional High School Drama Festival at the Reid Theater, Memorial University. It is a four-day festival with workshops offered by theater professionals during the day followed by performances from area junior and senior high schools each evening. The caliber of performance among high schools in the St. John’s area is very high and the shows presented during the week were varied and enjoyed by all who attended. Competition between schools, however, is very friendly and there is a camaraderie that is built during the week as students mix and mingle.

Mount Pearl Senior High School performed on the first evening, along with Bishops College. This year our school performed a farce entitled, Mmmbeth. The play makes fun of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, with many bad puns and slapstick comedy complete with kilts, murderers, chainsaws and inflatable palm trees. Our play received wild applause and a standing ovation from the audience and went on to win many awards (listed below). The adjudicator for the festival was a recently retired English and drama teacher from Grand Falls/Windsor, Mr. Dave Anthony. Ironically his drama group had performed the play the year before in their drama festival (it didn’t win) and our adjudication was very interesting as he gave us constructive criticism and laughingly compared his production to ours. On Friday evening the awards were given out and our play was selected as the best of the festival. Our students were ecstatic! This meant that in two weeks on May 8th, we were to travel to Carbonear to perform in the Provincial High School Drama Festival.

The Provincial Festival is a showcase of the best plays from high schools across the province and Labrador. This year it was held from May 8-10, 2008, in Carbonear. Ten schools participated including a French immersion school from the Port au Pot Peninsula (who performed in French). Shows were held each evening at the Sheila NaGeira Theater. – a lovely little theater down by the water. Workshops and meals were provided in the CONA facility right behind the theater and a good time was had by all. A few more awards were added to our collection on Saturday evening (listed below) and we headed home Sunday morning. Many new friends were made and many Facebook links added.

I wish to personally commend the hard work and dedication of the students involved in this production. On average they worked nine hours a week on the show juggling work schedules and homework. The running joke among the students is that if you have a life you don’t have time to be in drama. As the show got closer and pressure mounted, so too did the amount of time required. In the last three days before the performance on April 22nd, the students worked 15 to 20 hours putting finishing touches on the set and working to make sure all aspects of the production were perfect. It paid off with an outstanding performance at both the Regional and Provincial Festivals.

On May 14th the group was awarded a Youth Performing Arts Group Recognition award for their outstanding work at the Focus On Youth Awards held by the City of Mount Pearl at the Reid Center. It was an honor to be recognized and the students felt very appreciated by their community.

CAST:

Mmmbeth : Marc Lewis

Lady Mmmbeth : Melissa Williams

Banquo : Alex Quick

Queen Duncan : Michelle Croke

Macduff/Son of Macduff : Mark Wakeham

Haggy/Doctor : Melissa Jordan

Naggy/Gentlewoman : Shelby Gellately

Twit/Gentlewoman : Kaley Marshall

Soldier 1/Murderer 1/Hecate : Chris McCarthy

Soldier 2/Murderer 2 : Kody McGrath

CREW:

Stage Manager : Rebecca Mercer

Costumes : Jamie Sheehan

Props : Holly Gidge

Lighting : Brandon Parsons

Sound : Adam Murrin

Director : Louise Kearley

AWARDS RECEIVED AT THE REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA FESTIVAL

APRIL 22-25, 2008 REID THEATER, MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENSEMBLE ACTING

The Entire Cast

FOR EXCELLENCE IN ACTING

Alex Quick

Michelle Croke

Chris McCarthy

FOR EXCELLECNE IN THEIR PORTRAYAL OF SHAKESPEAREAN ACTORS

Melissa Jordan

Shelby Gellately

Kaley Marshall

FOR EXCELLENCE IN COSTUME DESIGN

Jamie Sheehan

FOR EXCELLENCE IN LIGHTING DESIGN

Brandon Parsons

FOR EXCELLENCE IN SET DESIGN

AWARDS RECEIVED AT THE PROVINCIAL HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA FESTIVAL

MAY 8-10, 2008 SHEILA NAGEIRA THEATER, CARBONEAR

FOR EXCELLENCE IN ACTING (Character Development)

Melissa Williams

FOR EXCELLENCE IN A LEADING ROLE

Melissa Jordan

FOR EXCELLENCE IN SET DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Our heartfelt thanks go out to those who helped us with this production:

Pat Boland, Gonzo Bennett, Lillian Bussey, Criss Power, Undrea Norris,

Michelle McCarthy, Marie Sharpe, The Arts & Culture Center, Mike O’Brien,

Justin Parsons, Jarrett Fleming, Jessie Cox, Matt Bailey, Colton Griffiths, Ryan Hill & Tyler Elliot