Melfort Amateur Dramatics' rendition of Gibson and Sons took place in November.  (Facebook/Melfort Amateur Dramatics)

By Angie Rolheiser

Drama Festival

Melfort Amateur Dramatics prepares for provincial drama competition

Mar 5, 2020 | 1:00 PM

Members of the Melfort Amateur Dramatics (MAD) are getting ready for a week long provincial drama festival in April.

The Melfort group will open the festival with its rendition of Five Alarm.

Mel Annand with MAD said this is Theatre Saskatchewan’s 2020 provincial drama competition.

“The plays will be judged by an adjudicator named Daniel McDonald and at the end of the week we will have the mini Academy awards,” Annand said.

Awards presented will include best actor, director, and play.

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Annand told northeastNOW McDonald is a much awarded playwright, actor, and director himself.

“He may be known to some in Melfort because he has been involved as an instructor and teacher through the Cumberland Community College in some of the drama education programs they have there,” Annand said.

The adjudicator’s main role is to watch all of the plays and judge them but his second role is to help the clubs learn about drama productions the morning following their plays.

These are public adjudications that run for three hours also at the Kerry Vickar Centre (KVC) CJVR performing arts theatre.

“We are fortunate to have seen a number of these over the years and they are very interesting and usually entertaining for those involved,” Annand said.

MAD hosted the drama competition previously in 2010 and 2015.

This is the 45th anniversary of MAD’s existence in the northeast as well making the theme for the festival MAD Alive at 45.

“We thought that was celebrating by bringing the drama festival to Melfort,” Annand said.

The play Five Alarm is written by Canadian playwright Kristen De Silva who is also behind Gibson and Sons, which was the Christmas dinner theatre production for MAD.

Five Alarm is about a chili cook-off set in small-town Saskatchewan,

“We think people will be able to identify with it,” Annand said.

Fortunately, the group is able to take the show on the road a bit ahead of the provincial competition.

The Brooksby Community Hall is hosting a dinner theatre fundraiser for their facility so the group will be able to perform for that on Saturday, April 4.

The drama members are looking to the community to get on board for sponsorships during the festival as well as purchasing tickets for single and multiple performances.

Weeklong passes are available at the KVC box office. An early bird weeklong pass is $50 until March 31. Those passes will rise to $100 for the week beyond March 31.

Other groups performing at the provincial competition will be Odyssey Productions from Prince Albert, Flights of Angels in Melfort, Mini Fridge Theatre in Saskatoon, Battlefords Community Players, Yorkton Paper Bag Players, and Indian Head Stage Left Players.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser