Vernon’s Powerhouse Theatre and Armstrong’s Asparagus Community Theatre have returned to the North Okanagan with some hardware after attending the adjudicated Okanagan Zone (OZone) Drama Festival in Oliver last week.
The Powerhouse Theatrical Society was recognized with an award of merit as well as acting and technical awards for its play Unnecessary Farce while Asparagus came away with a technical award for its production of The Maids.
The two companies were among seven community theatres from around the Okanagan-Southern Interior who put on their respective plays nightly, culminating with the awards ceremony Saturday.
Adjudicator Garry Davey awarded Powerhouse with the Adjudicator’s Merit Award for team building, mentoring and community engagement in honour of the club’s focus on mentoring new talent in both creative and technical theatrical work.
Other awards for Unnecessary Farce included Best Newcomer (Jo Dixon in the role of Billie), Best Ensemble (cast and crew), Best Costume Design (Rhonda Nicholas), Best Set Design (Eugene Leveque and team), Best Actress (Tanya Laing Gahr as Karen) and Best Runner Up Production.
Davey noted the strong teamwork of the club, and said that Vernon’s Powerhouse “puts the community in community theatre.”
He also commended the club for recognizing and supporting the numerous volunteers who work behind the scenes to bring a high quality performance to the stage.
Asparagus Community Theatre’s Bruce Turnbull and his team were recognized for Best Set Décor for The Maids.
Also participating in the festival from Vernon was Back Stage Theatre, which presented its original production Posing for Mr. Wiser, written and directed by local playwright Michael Poirier.
For the complete list of the OZone 2016 awards, visit theatrebc.org/okanagan-zone.
