Young New Brunswick theatre artists celebrated at last night’s festival launch.
Brian K.
NotaBle Acts Theatre Festival kicked off its 16th season to a packed house last night at Unplugged Board Game Café.
Theatre lovers and several members of the local theatre community gathered to hear readings of three new plays, each a winner of the festival’s Middle and High School Playwriting Competition held earlier this year.
This year’s high school winner was The Fog by Adrien Beaman, a student at Simonds High School in Saint John. Kayley Clark (I Choose Life) and Brendan Foley (The Afterlife), students at Fredericton’s Bliss Carmen Middle School, were both winners of the middle school competition. Their plays were read by actors Rachel Forbes, Amelia Hay, Isaac Meadus, Alex Pannier with introductions (and occasional stage direction) by NB Acts board member Jared Mallard.
This is the third year NB Acts have ran a high school playwriting competition and the first year to include work from middle school students.
“We had great interest and a successful submission process,” said Mallard. “With partnership from the Department of Education, students from all over the province had the opportunity to write plays to be submitted.”
It was great to see organizers launch this year’s event by celebrating the work of young theatre artists. NotaBle Acts is a festival of new plays and has been championing new voices in New Brunswick theatre since the beginning.
It was also revealed that this year’s three winning plays will be produced this winter and directed by members of the NB Acts theatre community.
The festival continues through until August 5, with the Mainstage production, Grace Notes, running now until July 29 at St. Thomas University’s Black Box Theatre.
More information can be found by visiting www.nbacts.com
