The Ottawa Little Theatre’s 76th Annual National One-Act Playwriting Competition, Canada’s oldest playwriting competition, has collected 28 competition entries from across the country with winners representing three of these provinces. This is a testament not only to the broad interest in this annual competition, but also to the diverse locales of active Canadian playwrights. The 2017 winners join a long list of Canadian literary luminaries recognized through this annual competition, which commenced in 1937. Past winners have included Robertson Davies, John Murrell, Erika Ritter, Catherine Banks and Ken Mitchell, to name just a few. Winners were chosen through a double blind adjudication process, with all of the plays submitted under pen names. The adjudicators’ names were kept confidential until the winners were chosen. The winners in the ‘Plays Written for Adults’ category are: The first prize, Ottawa Little Theatre Award winner is: In Case of Fire by James Odin Wade (Calgary, Alberta) Comments from the adjudicators for In Case of Fire include:
“A play that shakes the foundations of a young marriage and teaches (or reminds) us that love alone cannot save a partnership. An intelligent, poignant and often funny exploration of the tension between religious identity and personal fulfillment; the reassurance of community versus the exhilarating terror of total independence” – Nick Carpenter
“An hilarious, entertaining, and moving play that surprises at every turn. The characters' journeys are very rich and entirely satisfying” – Bobby Theodor
“A sharp two-hander about faith, lack of faith, and the huge twists that life and religion force upon our lives. The play offers two demanding roles and a challenging scenario that actors and directors will love to tackle” - Brian Quirt.
The
, Dorothy White Award winner is:
(Edmonton, Alberta)
Comments from the adjudicators for Fags in Space include:
“Decorating a Christmas tree generates a wild, vibrant, searching and scarring examination of a gay couple’s relationship with one another and with the wider world” – Brian Quirt
“Fag's in Space is a vitally current, viciously tender piece. It explores our desire to go deeper and get closer while exposing our fear of intimacy” - Bobby Theodore
The
, The Gladys Cameron Watt Award, is sponsored by the Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women. The 2017 winner is:
(Chapel Arm, Newfoundland)
Comments from the adjudicators for Tibb’s Eve include:
“The near-music of the language and dialogue prepare our senses for the careening arcs of the characters as they run at first from, then directly into an obliterating Bacchanalian storm. Tibb’s Eve is a giddy, powerful play about responsibility and its escape routes, set against a starry Newfoundland night where what it means to be home (at least for Trevor, Ronnie, Molly and Jess) is up for debate” - Nick Carpenter
“Fabulous dialogue is the star of this snapshot of a community that collides with its past, present and future during a wild party which no one leaves quite the same as they arrived”– Brian Quirt
“Tibb's Eve is a fantastic wild party, full of wild longings and dormant resentments that finally have a chance to come out to play” - Bobby Theodore
, the adjudicators also recognized a fourth play:
(Hamilton, Ontario)
Comments from the adjudicators for Subway Extension to the Mariana Trench include:
“A subway shooting has impact on everyone who witnesses it in this artful exploration of perspective, class, culture and crisis” - Brian Quirt
“A strong weave of parallel monologues, each a window into the circumstances, reflections and motivations of four urban commuters, united, if only for a moment, through an act of sacrificial violence. I was blown away by the playwright’s handling of the four distinct and contrasting voices” -Nick Carpenter
“Subway Extension to the Mariana Trench delivers a series of profoundly moving and resonant interconnected monologues that are written with remarkable skill” - Bobby Theodore
The Sybil Cooke Award for ‘A Play Written for Children or Young People’ was not awarded this year. The winners are invited to mount public readings of their work at Ottawa Little Theatre with a guest dramaturge, along with directors and actors from the theatre. Public readings will be held on Saturday, April 22 with a public dramaturgy workshop on April 23 in Ottawa Little Theatre’s Janigan Studio. Ticket information and other details on the event will be available at www.ottawalittletheatre.com.
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