Competition Piece
at Laura Secord

Reviewed on March 28, 2019

Guilherme Martins
Ridley College
Submitted for publication to The St. Catharines Standard

From historical Shakespearean spectaculars to contemporary Broadway musicals, theatre has been the most influential medium for emotional expression. Audiences have laughed and cried, and been unaware of the efforts behind a theatrical production, until now.

Laura Secord's rendition of "Competition Piece" brings into public view the struggles of constructing a play from the ground up. The comedy, written by John S. Wells in 1993, highlights three high school theater troupes as they each encounter difficulties when preparing a performance. The metanarrative reveals the all-too-real stressors of staging a production that remains prevalent in the lives of contemporary thespians.

The forty-minute, one-act play is introduced by a narrator and a trifecta of judges who comment on events as they unfold. The three distinguishable competing ensembles each consist of a five-person cast, in addition to a director, who all remain onstage for the production's entirety. A simple set design facilitated scene changes, with vocalized observations from the narrator and judges who maintained the audience's immersion throughout the play's transitions. Four three-sided panels divided the stage, with the cast rotating them as such to display the side which thematically supplemented the personality of the respective group. No singular force drove the narrative, as each ensemble was a character in itself, with collective mindsets and personalities clearly distinguishable from other groups.

"The Preppies", a cohort of high-achieving, academic, intelligent students, led by Melanie Riley's portrayal of Miss Hockenschmoss, depicts the perfectionist, stereotypically well-mannered characters. Clad in smart casual, the astute adolescents convince their director to select the romantic story of a soon-to-be high school couple, only to find conflict when the casted couple have reservations regarding kissing.

Coached by Zoe Dougherty's Ms. Grubowski, "The Metalheads", dressed in all black, find struggles in presenting the story of a troubled pregnant teen while also dealing with Ms. Grubowski's demands for sports training exerted with the ear-piercing blow of a whistle.

Mrs. Mellencamp, embodied by Sadie Williams, takes "The Arties" into a spiritual world of self-exploration as they are immersed into Japanese Kabuki Drama to depict the legendary Shakespearean "King Lear". Dressed in the traditional Japanese kimono, "The Arties" re-enacted the historical dramatization in another language, with Ian Middleton's character Graham humorously reciting a Shakespearean monologue in Japanese.

To introduce and guide the audience through the story, Sarah, the narrator, played by Jenna Cowan, provides the all-needed context for the audience to understand the complexity of staging a show. The three judges consisted of Mina Gough's portrayal of the feeble grandma, Miss Matilda Meeks, Brandon Stroud's Dr. Albert Siskell-Ebert, a professional critic and long-time friend of Shakespeare, and Madeline Hatrick's The Grim Reaper, as death incarnate. Although the aforementioned characters had less development regarding their personalities, their mutual ability to keep the audience immersed throughout transitions solidified their role as members of the cast.

Technical elements reinforced ideas conveyed onstage. Lighting, for instance, illuminated the performing group center stage with the standard limelight, while the other two ensembles were saturated with a dark blue light. The triad of stories occurred simultaneously, yet the lighting brought attention to specific cast members as the others remained in a tableau. Sound design also played a significant role in reflecting both the personality of the ensemble and the tone of their performance.

Amid the stressful atmosphere of staging a production, the cast end their suffering in silence by revealing what it truly means to be an actor for live theatre.

Cameryn Cappellazzo
Ridley College
Submitted for publication to The St. Catharines Standard

An adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear in the style of Kabuki theatre with dialogue completely spoken in Japanese. A high-school production of ‘Kiss Me Quick, My Lips are on Fire' prepared in three short months. A heart wrenching performance of ‘Betty:' the dramatic story of student turned teen mother then ghostly lecturer. With three plays within a play, Laura Secord's production of "Competition Piece" dives into the stories of three kooky, creative, and decidedly everyday theatre styles.

The 1993 piece, written by John S. Wells, invites the audience into the theatrical world of the "preppies", "arties", and "metalheads" as they prepare for a drama competition, skillfully interweaving the stories of three school groups. The piece is segmented by the presence of three judges and a host, providing timely commentary and criticism of the performances. Each school group presents the realities and commonalities of student productions – displaying the process from beginning to end.

Mina Gough as judge 'Miss Matilda Meeks' seamlessly exemplified the disheartened biology-teacher turned theatre critic. With a grandmotherly gait and gravelly inflection, Gough delivers comedic disapproval of the three on-stage performances. Turning a customary nose up to the ooey-gooey teen romance presented by the preppies. Another judge, Brandon Stroud's Dr. Albert Siskell-Albert is commanding and suitably snooty.

The preppies – spearheaded by the perfectionist director Miss Hockenschmoss (Melanie Riley) – expertly present the overprepared theatre extreme. The students flounce across stage in perfect synchronization by the precise direction of Hockenschmoss. In contrast to the preppies, the metalheads air on the side of spontaneity in their production of the drama ‘Betty'. Grace Muir excels in the role of the metalhead Sue, jumping animatedly across stage as it is revealed she will take the lead role of her own school's production. Wearing all black and donning punk mannerisms, the metalheads fluid interaction displayed the idiosyncrasies that often underlie student theatre. Zoe Dougherty's whistle-wielding director Ms. Grubowski shows commanding physicality on stage – exemplifying the stereotype of which the production embraces.

More abstract than the cut-and-dry metalheads, the arties comedically illustrate the interpretive directorial style. Whimsical and flamboyant, Sadie William's Mrs. Mellencamp floats across the stage, hands posed with delicate artistic flair. William's Mellencamp captivated with her avant-garde air – her free-spirited nature reflected in her carefully poised mannerisms. Ever the committed artist, Milo Boccinfuso's Eliot is expressive and eccentric – comedic is his insistence on attending round-the-clock rehearsals rather than receiving kidney dialysis treatment.

The groups rotated around the stage, freezing in difficult tableau positions reflective of their group mentality when not in center-stage. Although this illustrated the continuity of each school's preparation, it occasionally proved distracting from the other characters in direct view. Gracefully transitioning from group to group, the use of cleverly painted partitions marked the visual transition from school to school, executed smoothly and efficiently throughout the performance. The costumes, designed by Eli Koks, show similar attention to detail. Metalhead 'Sue' stalks expressively across the stage in fishnet tights and preppie 'Graham' belts a Japanese adaptation of Shakespeare in tie-dye – reflecting the individuality of each group's characters. Although reliant on tried-and-true stereotypes, the student cast brings unique and individualized flair to the three schools.

Laura Secord's unique characterization and masterful use of set present an exaggerated reality illustrating the intricate workings of student-productions. Each group reveals the underlying traits of any group performance: comedy, disagreement, and a lot of heart. But what directorial style did Laura Secord's production of "Competition Piece" resonate with most?

Diana Karapetyan
Eden High School
Submitted for publication to The St. Catharines Standard

Secord Crushes the Competition

Lights, camera, action! The theatre curtain is raised to reveal an earth-shattering production packed with well-rehearsed actors, and promptly executed cues. But what could possibly occur if the curtain was raised to reveal no script, no cast, and no production? Why Laura Secord's "Competition Piece", of course!

Presenting a play within a play, Laura Secord's performance is a comedic, filter-less reflection into the process of a creating an award-winning masterpiece starting with nothing but a passion for drama and a dash of dedication.

Divided into three contrasting cliques, the vibrant cast remained onstage for the duration of the show, never faltering to lose character from transition scenes to tableau. The plot followed the Preppies, the Arties, and the Metalheads, through the bumpy road of creating a "preppy" romance, a Japanese rendition of King Lear, and a tragic teen pregnancy story (viewer discretion is advised).

Transitions between scenes were smoothly executed, enhanced by the multi- purpose set pieces. Consisting of three pillars, the minimalist design served beyond its typical development of a setting but was able to establish depth in the characterization of each group.

Warm and neutral tones in lighting, executed by Ryan Smith, created a welcoming atmosphere onstage that was perfectly complemented by the lively music and animated sound effects done by Nicholas Godard. Costume design (Eli Koks) and hair (Makayla Steeves, Madeleine Rice) added a certain theatrical flair to each character that was effective in highlighting their individual personality.

Extraordinary performances by Melanie Riley in the role of Miss Hockenschmoss, Sadie Williams as Mrs. Mellencamp, and Zoe Dougherty as Ms. Grubowski had the audience hollering with laughter at their innovative, and ridiculous, methods of rehearsal. Milo Boccinfuso, in the role of Elliot, and Abby Schonewille as Allison, also provided enough comedic relief to light up a city with their animated gestures and killer one-liners.

Each character fit seamlessly into their clique, yet was striking with their charismatic personality and distinctive sense of humour. Laura Secord's honest perspective into the rehearsal process did not only reflect the behind-the-scenes of a show but provided an insight into their own actors. Applause go out to each cast member for their fearless pursuit of creating a raw, honest theatre piece.

Despite each group of students being presented as having different ideologies of "award-winning theatre", Laura Secord was transparent in its wake-up call about how beautiful diversity can truly be. The passion and dedication showcased by the cast and crew was victorious in their own competition: perhaps not as three individual groupings, but rather together as one.