Players from the Port Hardy Secondary School Drama Club entertained a small but enthusiastic crowd at the school’s theatre last week in preparation for taking their show on the road.
The night opened with a series of musical acts from Olivia Haysey, Savannah Hopkins and Ciara Rosso, introduced by MCs Maya Anderson and Kate Gough, before Alexandra Southgate and Tiernan Case performed a comedic scene on inheriting an unwanted roommate.
Anderson, Gough, Southgate and Case were then joined onstage by Anik Desmarais-Spencer for the evening’s centrepiece, the one-act Look Me In The Eye by Lindsay Price.
Set in the not-so-distant future, the performance opens cryptically and it soon emerges that the five students are being reunited for their annual ‘observation’.
In this society, tightly controlled by an Orwellian state, execution is the standard punishment for all crimes, and students observe batches of executions as a deterrent - a key part of their education.
What starts as borderline entertainment to the students suddenly hits close to home, and the group is forced to confront their beliefs and assumptions when a familiar name appears on the list of the convicted.
The production was a well-polished performance of a tight script; engaging, dramatic and touching on difficult themes.
After last Thursday’s presentation on home turf, the group travel south to compete in the zone championship of the North Island Regional Drama Festival in Campbell River today, Feb. 20, and tomorrow. The festival features two days of workshops and performances by the approximately 16 schools in attendance competing for a spot in provincials.