Black Gold students take a bow after Provincial Theatre Festival
Students from Leduc Composite High School and École Secondaire Beaumont Composite High School returned from the Provincial One-Act Play Festival inspired, energized, more confident, and eager to bring new ideas back to their school stages
The students earned spots at the 50-year-old provincial festival after advancing through regional zone competitions earlier this year. At the Provincials, held at the University of Lethbridge recently, they performed alongside theatre programs from across Alberta. They took part in workshops, adjudication sessions, and learning opportunities led by theatre professionals.
“It’s an event that elevates students and their skills,” says Chantal Yardley, drama teacher at ESBCHS. With nine Alberta zones each sending two productions, it is a chance for students to see the “best of the best,” in a short period of time, says Yardley. “It’s really excellent work. Because students choose their own one act play, I also find it interesting to see what stories are important to students right now.”
ESBCHS students chose “The 39 Steps”, which she says is done in the style of a live radio show combined with an Alfred Hitchcock murder.
LCHS students chose “The Most Massive Woman Wins”, which focuses on body dysmorphia from the point of view of four women.
For the students, the experience went far beyond performing on stage. Festival participants spent time watching productions from other schools, learning new approaches to lighting, set design, storytelling, and stage production.
The event also gave students the chance to receive feedback from professional adjudicators. Students described the experience as motivating and said the advice they received will help them continue building their performance and technical theatre skills.
Behind the scenes, students learned important lessons about teamwork and adaptability. With limited setup and technical preparation time between performances, students relied on communication, flexibility, and collaboration to keep productions running smoothly.
River, a student from ESBCHS, says she appreciates the independence that One Acts provides students. “Art in school is led by adults, but One Acts are led by students, so students can express what they want to,” says River. “I found it very interesting to see what social issues each school chose to focus on.”
The provincial festival included student actors, stage managers, lighting designers, sound technicians, and running crew members, giving students opportunities to explore many different parts of theatre production. Several students said the experience strengthened their interest in future opportunities connected to theatre and the arts.
“The students are excited and re-energized after seeing great shows from across the province,” says LCHS drama teacher Sheena Edginton. “They are motivated to take what they have learned and select new shows for next year.”
As the theatre season comes to a close, students from both schools are already looking ahead to next year’s one-act productions and bringing what they learned at Provincials back to their school stages.
