By Mark Squibb\April 14, 2023
The St. Kevin’s High School Drama Club won a number of awards during this year’s provincial drama festival.
This years festival is the first since COIVD slammed shut the theatre doors back in 2020, meaning it’s the first festival of its kind for most high school students across the province.
“Seeing them experience it in person was a very satisfying thing as a teacher,” said St. Kevin’s teacher Greg White, who leads the St. Kevin’s drama troupe. “You see the hard work that students put in during rehearsals make sense, and you see how proud they are of their work, as their peers cheer them on, and be a part of that whole experience. Probably the most rewarding thing as a teacher is to be able to say, ‘I know you’ve never done this, but when we do, it’s going to be worth it.’ And at the end of the day, and my colleagues from other schools agreed, it’s almost like there wasn’t a break. The energy going into the theatre was exactly the same as the energy going into the theatre in 2019. It was great to be able to do it again.”
White wrote the drama, “Free Trial,” that the students performed, for which he would receive an award for Best Original Script.
White writes his scripts in coordination with the students, and credits them for the result.
“The students come up with the ideas, and I just roll with it,” he summarized. “It 100 percent comes from them.”
He was working on the script with a group of Gonzaga High School students back in the 2019/2020 season for that year’s provincial drama festival, little knowing that COVID-19 would soon shut theatres across the country.
The story is about a young man Adam (played by Grade 10 student Parker Gosse) who uses a mobile phone app to help him cope with social anxiety. Through the app, Adam can play out different social scenarios in virtual reality.
“The entire experience was so fun, and completely new,” said Gosse, award winner for Best Dramatic Role. “I had never done anything like this before. It was so fun to act on stage, and the support even from other schools, and our own school was fantastic. The workshops also were a lot of fun. Overall, it was a great time, and I cannot wait to do it next year.”
“It was definitely a different experience, because I had never done anything like this before,” concurred Grade 11 student Marty Murphy, who won an award for Overall Excellence in Acting. “But it was a very fun experience, and all of the schools that competed showed very good sportsmanship and were very friendly.”
White applauds the good job done by his students, especially considering they had never before participated in a festival.
“These guys have never performed on a stage in front of an audience before, but they just worked incredibly hard,” said White. “They truly, 100 percent, earned that recognition they got from the adjudicators. So, what a better advocation for any student to get involved than saying, ‘Hey look, these guys never did this before and they had a blast, felt supported, and at the end of the day, walked away holding their head high.”
While public speaking and stage acting may strike a chord of fear in many of us, White’s students encouraged others to give it a try.
“Just give it a try, because once you’re in a drama group, it’s a completely different feeling than being in a classroom,” said Grade 11 student Melanie Lush, who received a Best Tech Crew award. “It feels more like acting in front of family members than a bunch of random strangers.”
Grade 11 student Julia Kennedy noted one piece of trivia that may folks feel a little less nervous performing on stage.
“You’re not so intimidated by everyone watching you because all you can really see are a bunch of bright lights,” said Kennedy.
Awards and accolades aside, White said the drama club is good for students and school communities.
“There are a particular group of students for whom drama is their thing,” said White. “They find their community within the club. And as with every group I’ve had in the past, there’s a real sense of belonging and community within drama and drama festival. The students develop social skills and communication skills, wonderful things the students take with them the rest of their lives whether they become an actor or not.”
As a teacher who has been involved in drama for a number of years, White said he’s seen countless students grow and mature through their involvement with drama clubs.
“You get to see your students grow immensely, from the Grade 9 student who is too afraid to audition to, in just a short amount of time, the Grade 10 or 11 student walking across the stage with their hands in the air getting an award,” said White. “It’s an awesome thing to be a part of.”
White said the festival also builds relationships between schools and helps likeminded students across the region keep in touch with one another.
The club hopes to put off a production of “Free Trial,” for the public this May.
