The cast and crew of Powerhouse Theatre now have a few bronze Thespians to go with their Woman in Black.
Vernon’s community theatre, representing the Okanagan Zone, took home seven bronze-cast sculptures, made by celebrated Kelowna artist Geert Maas, at Theatre BC’s Mainstage Festival in Kamloops Saturday.
Powerhouse not only won Best Production and Best Director for Matt Brown, but a number of technical awards for its ghostly thriller, written by Stephen Mallatratt.
The Woman in Black, which won Best Production at the Okanagan Zone (OZone) Drama Festival in May after it was staged in Vernon for a two-week run in April, competed against seven other winning plays from zones around the province.
“If there’s one thing aside from the awards and the appreciation we received, it’s how Powerhouse is kept in high regard by all circles,” said The Woman in Black’s winning director Brown. “They are known to have their stuff together, and gave us the tools and help to execute our play efficiently well.”
That was the case as the awards came just after Brown and his cast, OZone award winning actors Burnet McLean and Chris Froese, and his crew staged the play in Vernon for a two-night fundraiser at Powerhouse, held July 3 and 4.
The next day, the crew packed the sets, costumes, props and everything else to transfer the play to Kamloops’ Sagebrush Theatre, where it was presented on Friday to an audience and adjudicator.
“When we went to Kamloops, it was hold your breath and triple check everything. The effects and everything else pretty much went without any hitches,” said Brown. “Out of the few shows I saw, a few things happened, and then there were a few ‘whoas.’ When you transfer a show, there is always a margin of error.”
Adjudicating the eight-day festival was musical theatre veteran Jeff Hyslop, who addressed the audience after each play was staged and then gathered the cast and crew the next day for a coffee critique.
“I’ve been going through adjudication since I was eight, and I’ve never had someone that gracious,” said Brown. “… In a nutshell, he got and up and said (The Woman in Black) was mesmerizing, seamless and powerful… Everyone’s jaw was on the ground. He also said that after two minutes into the show, he basically closed his notebook and watched the play.”
And the accolades continued at the awards ceremony, when Powerhouse also picked up Thespians for Best Properties, awarded to Jean Given, and Best Technical Sound for Bob Oldfield, as well as Best Program.
Powerhouse newcomer Jessika LaFramboise, who is a graduate of W.L. Seaton Secondary School’s renowned drama program and recently moved back to Vernon, won two awards for Best Technical Lighting and Best Set Design.
