Held at The Portal Players Theatre in Port Alberni, BC
May 20-24, 2024
Article Written by Kirstin Humpherys – AUTF – Co-producer-NIZ contact
Here is a bit of info on how all this works. THEATRE BC is the mother organization that facilitates 7 Zones that cover the whole of BC. Each Zone is provided with a professional adjudicator that ultimately announces the Best Production Award to the Club that will represent their Zone in the Provincial Festival called Mainstage. Yes it is a competition, but more importantly, it is an opportunity to learn, connect with fellow thespians, share ideas and see some great theatre.
Each Zone has a number of Community Clubs that actively provide theatre in their Zone. Every year each Club decides if they will be entering their Zone Festival. In order to hold a Zone Festival there must be at least 3 entries and a willing host Club. This year 6 Zones will be entering Theatre BC’s Mainstage. This is very exciting as it indicates that Community Theatre is alive and well in the whole Province. So how does a Zone Club get to participate in TBC’s Mainstage Festival? Read on….
So our NIZ had 5 Clubs entering the Zone Festival including the Host Club of Portal Players in Port Alberni. All Zone Festivals are adjudicated by a professional. A Zone Festival performs one night in the Festival and has a feedback session the next morning called a Coffee Critique. This is the heart of the experience as the adjudicator’s job is to encourage and recognize what went well in the show and give some suggestions on how to make it better. Each adjudicator has their own style and in my experience of many years of Zone Festivals I have always come away with nuggets of wisdom for all included in a production, including being in an audience. At the end of the Festival Awards are given out at a Celebration Luncheon. And then the curtain is drawn and we leave wanting more.
This year in Port Alberni we where hosted by Portal Players and it was expertly done. Having been involved in hosting a Festival I know how much work it takes and how many volunteers it takes to hold together a revolving door of one night plays, their technical help, their lunches and their adjudications. Kudos to Portal Players. They made it seem easy.
For a Club it means packing up, driving the set, costumes, etc to the venue. Unpacking, setting up the set, set dressing, setting lights and sound cues (always on a different instrument than we use at the Sid), running a cue to cue and getting out of the theatre in 6 hours for a one hour dinner break. Then packing up after the show and being out by a designated time. This is Theatre Performing in Road Houses….I have gained a lot of respect for those Companies on the road. So much learning to be had!
And speaking of learning…..our Adjudicator this year was Robinson Wilson, (proudly I say, one of our own). I pause here: as I want to list all the wonderful things he has accomplished over the last 24 years, but will ask you to google him. What I will say as an adjudicator he is incredibly at ease, knowledgeable, respectful, funny, and a good teacher. Thank you Robinson.
And now kudos to the cast a crew of CLT’s entry in the festival of And Up They Flew
by Martha Ross, directed by Annie Smith
We were honored with two Certificates of Excellence for:
–Specialty Prop Design for Marianne Harris’ Dream Machine
–Graphics Design – Janet Walker
– Donna Lamb Award Recipient- Shari Jakubiec from Courtenay Little Theatre
One of our own! The 2025 NIZ Festival will be Hosted By Echo Players in Qualicum.
They will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary! CLT will host in 2027. My how time flys!
