About
the Play:
HARD TO FIND BOOK, only a very limited
number of copies are still available.
Festival Voices: Plays Written by Students & Teachers for
the Sears Ontario Drama Festival is a unique and exciting
collection of plays edited by Wayne Fairhead and Jane
Gardner. A must-have for all drama teachers and drama
enthusiasts. The book is not only a showcase of the best student
plays, it is also ideal resource for schools to have their students
study and perform something beyond the ordinary.
The Ontario Drama Festival, formerly known as the Sears Ontario
Drama Festival, and now known as the as the National Theatre Ontario
Drama Festival, is the oldest and largest youth drama festival of its
kind in the world. Since its inception, students and teachers from
across Ontario have been writing new, original plays to showcase
their talents at the Ontario Drama Festival, the province's largest
and most prestigious student theatre festival.
Collected in Festival Voices are eight original one-act plays that were chosen
by editors Wayne Fairhead and Jane
Gardner from 60 plays performed as part of the Sears
Ontario Drama Festival. They looked for excellence in writing, plays
that engaged the audience, and themes that would relate to teenage
actors.
The Disposables by teacher Jennifer Benson and
students Emily Tisi and Cassandra Van Wyck is a the
green-themed play that takes place in the contrasting worlds of
Burbia, where life is perfect and ordered, and the toxic place of the
castaways, called the Land Where All the Garbage Goes. It was first
performed by students from
E.L. Crossley Secondary School in Fonthill in 2007.
Enter My Goddess by teachers Carmela Arangio
and Marguerite
Jack-Vermey presents
the stories of 7 contemporary women struggling through life's
obstacles and guided by the voices of their ancestors, all woven
together through beautiful movement and the resonating beat of the
drum. It was first performed
by cast of 25 female students from
Notre Dame High School in
Toronto in
2004.
How Nous Avons Met by John Anthony Nabben,
then a
student teacher from the University of Windsor, tells the story of
three English-speaking boys who meet three French-speaking girls and
how they try to be together despite not speaking the same language.
It was first performed
by students from École
secondaire l'Essor in Tecumseh in 2004.
The Impressionist Wing by student Mia Rose Yugo
was first performed by
students from Dante Alighieri Academy in Toronto in 2009.
Leaving Hope by teacher BJ Castleman
was first performed by
students from Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute in Scarborough in 2001.
Pie in the Sky by student Livia Berius
was first performed by
students from Northern
Secondary School in Toronto
in 2001.
We All Fall Down is a serious drama by teacher Brenna
McAllister. A portrait of addiction and street kids, it explores
the lives of teen runaways living on the streets of Toronto. It was
first performed by students from Governor Simcoe Secondary School in
St. Catherines in 2006.
Whitechapel with book and lyrics by student Maya
Bielinski, and music by students Don Rankin and Charles
Hoppner, was first performed by
students from Bell High School Nepean
in 2008.
About the Editors:
Wayne Fairhead was a teacher for thirty-eight years,
teaching and advising at all levels. He was the executive director of
the Sears Ontario Drama Festival for more than 35-years and was the
consulting director of Educational Services for the Lorraine Kimsa
Theatre for Young People in Toronto from 2006 to 2007.
Jane Gardner is the general manager of Carousel Players, a
TYA touring company located in St. Catharines, Ontario. She
previously managed the Blyth Festival and the Great Canadian Theatre
Company, and is a former executive director of Theatre Ontario.