MOOSE JAW — Cornerstone Christian School’s drama program has earned runner-up honours at the Saskatchewan Drama Association’s Region Two One Act Festival, earning them a spot at the provincial finals next month.
The school’s production of “How to Win a One Act Play Competition” — perhaps a fitting choice — stood out among a field of strong contenders, clinching the Runner-Up for Best Overall Production title. The next festival will take place at A.E. Peacock Collegiate on May 8 to 10, with Cornerstone scheduled to perform on Friday, May 9.
The ensemble of 34 students, co-directed by Tanya Johnson, Jasmine Stevens, and Scott Robertson, delivered a performance that resonated with both audiences and adjudicators.
“Oh, my goodness… we’re thrilled,” said Johnson, Cornerstone’s principal and a co-director. “The students did phenomenally well and we’re thrilled to advance to provincials now.”
The play offered a comedic take on a high school drama teacher’s quest to secure a trophy for the theatre department. After being reminded that every other department in the school has won an award, the drama teacher attempts to craft a play that ticks all the boxes for competition judges, leading to “humorous chaos” as students and teachers clash over creative decisions.
“It’s a really comedic look at the process of staging a play,” Johnson explained. “The theatre humour within it just kind of lands really well with a drama competition audience.”
A degree of the production’s success is attributed to the collaborative efforts of the directing team.
“We have a directing team, which is really nice, because with 34 students, we also have to build sets, get costumes, (and create) props. As well…, on stage there’s lighting, sound, and all of those things,” Johnson noted.
On hearing that they were selected to advance, the students reacted with excitement.
“They were thrilled and really, really excited,” Johnson said. “They… were proud of their performance, and they knew they had done well, but they (were also humbled and appreciative because they) also saw all of the other plays at the regional festival, which is always a really tight competition.”
Awards and recognition
In addition to the top production honour, the group also received runner-up honours for Best Technical Production, Best Technical Crew, and several individual medals and certificates.
Technical medal recipients included Emma S. for stage management and Linnea M. for lighting. Parker S. was named runner-up to the Bob Hinitt Technical Award for his sound design work.
On the acting side, Phoebe S. took home an acting medal, while Isaiah A. was recognized as a runner-up to the Mary Ellen Burgess Award for Acting. Acting Certificates of Merit were awarded to Ruth L. and Yigoro B. Jennah P. received the festival’s Cheer Award.
Looking to the future
Looking ahead, the team is preparing for the provincial festival by incorporating feedback from regional adjudicators.
“We’ll take the feedback that we got from regionals and we’ll incorporate some of those ideas into our next performance at provincials,” Johnson said.
The provincial festival offers students the opportunity to learn from theatre professionals and observe high-quality productions from across Saskatchewan.
“Our (students) are exposed to high quality theatre, and then they can put what they see and what they learn into their tool belts to use… in the future,” she explained.
Cornerstone has a history of success at the provincial level, having advanced in the last three years that provincials were held.
“We don’t take that for granted,” Johnson said. “It’s really an honour to be able to represent Region Two.”
The upcoming festival will feature 12 plays, showcasing the best high school drama productions from across the province.
“These are the best plays from across the province, so it will be a great weekend of theatre in our city,” Johnson said, inviting the community to attend.
The festival will take place in the A.E. Peacock Collegiate theatre at 145 Ross Street East. To learn more, visit .
