ELLIOT LAKE—Gore Bay Theatre has once again returned from QUONTA with a basket full of awards from their latest production ‘Exit the King,’ but Outstanding Production went to first time winners ELATE of Elliot Lake for their presentation of the Canadian play ‘Finding Providence.’ The awards this year were held in Elliot Lake.
Veteran Gore Bay thespian John Hawke brought home the Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role Award; the Adjudicator’s Award for Outstanding Interpretation of an Absurdist Play went to the Gore Bay Theatre Company; the Adjudicator’s Award for Outstanding Soundscape went to Vern Dorge and Jean Lavalle; and the award for Outstanding Visual Achievement went to Gore Bay Theatre’s co-directors Andrea Emmerton and Walter Maskel.
“We were nominated for an award in every category,” noted Mr. Maskel. “I think our company was well prepared, the actors worked very hard on this production.”
“I felt the adjudicator was very good with her remarks, especially with Chris (Cayen) from Espanola as a first time director,” said Ms. Emmerton. “QUONTA is a great learning experience and her remarks were very helpful for everyone.”
Festival adjudicator Laurel Smith is a theatre director, playwright, producer and performer whose credits include a MA in Drama from the University of Toronto’s Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama, an MBA in Arts and Media Administration from York University (where she made the Dean’s list), a degree in music and opera performance from Wilfrid Laurier University and theatre training at the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Drama Studio in London, England. Ms. Smith is no stranger to the role, having adjudicated for the ACT-CO Festival, the London One-Act Play Festival, the Mississauga Arts Awards, the EODL One-Act Play Festival and the Meadowvale Music Theatre Awards. She has taught at Brock University and is a familiar figure at theatre training workshops.
“Overall, this remains one of the most moving and powerful plays that I have seen in a festival production for many a year,” remarked respected theatre blogger Ken Stephen about the Gore Bay Theatre production of ‘Exit the King.’. “Some of this year’s awards are, I think, already bespoken.” Mr. Stephen’s blog can be found at largestagelive.blogspot.ca and is well worth the visit for any fan of live theatre in Ontario.
“It was so good to see so many young people taking part at QUONTA this year,” said Ms. Emmerton. “Elliot Lake did a great job of hosting the festival. They treated everyone very well and the food in the green room for the actors was fantastic. I really think this was a very well run festival.”
Elliot Lake’s QUONTA festival chairs Luc Morrissette and Kate Matuszewski and their team of volunteers were justly applauded for their hard work and dedication.
The other winners at this years QUONTA Festival included Adjudicator’s Award for Outstanding Historical Representation, which went to the Sault Theatre Workshop; Adjudicator’s Award for Composed Onstage Music went to Ponto Paparo of Elliot Lake Amateur Theatre (ELATE) for his original score; Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role went to Mike Boivin of the Espanola Little Theatre Company; Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role went to Wendylynn Levoskin of the the Sault Theatre Workshop; Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role went to Kim Arnold of ELATE; Outstanding Technical Achievement for Lighting Design went to Doug Robinson of ELATE; and Outstanding Director went to ELATE’s Murray Finn.
The Elliot Lake Amateur Theatre Ensemble production of ‘Tempting Providence’ will continue on to the Theatre Ontario Festival which is being hosted this year by the London Community Players, May 16-19, 2018.
Gore Bay Theatre is currently firming up its summer theatre offerings, which are rumoured to include a series of one-act plays following up on the solid reception the company received from its last repertoire offerings.
