Festival shines spotlight on Nova Scotia playwrights

One-third of the companies coming to LITF 2008 are bringing plays authored by Nova Scotians and not all of these productions originate in this country. Featured Nova Scotia playwrights include established plays that have become Maritime classics and lesser known and newer works.

Representing the USA will be the Port Tobacco Players from Maryland. However, their entry has a distinctly Canadian origin. “Never Swim Alone” was written by Cape Breton‘s Daniel MacIvor. MacIvor, a playwright, actor, and director in theatre and in film, is likely our province’s most frequently produced playwright, with scripts in almost continual rotation in theatres across Canada.

At home, MacIvor is probably best known for “Marion Bridge,” which has criss-crossed Nova Scotia with the Mulgrave Road Theatre. “Never Swim Alone” is a haunting experience that takes audiences through a gambit of emotions as they witness the lives of two lifelong friends who have based their relationship on petty competitions while avoiding the dark secrets of their past.

Kay Hill is a classical figure in the development of original drama in Nova Scotia. Perhaps best known for her 1960s Glooscap works for children, Hill was the winner of the 1971 Vicky Metcalf Award for works inspirational to Canadian youth. "Cobbler, Stick to Thy Last,” one of her most beloved comedies, is set in 1780s Cumberland County, Nova Scotia and features a Scottish family in crisis. It will be brought to LITF 2008 by the newly minted Centre Stage Players formed under the auspices of the Inverness County Council of the Arts.

The Yarmouth Drama Society will contribute “I Ain't Dead Yet!” by Christopher Heide. This three-hander with music has been produced by professional companies in the Maritimes as well as in Ontario and Alberta. It tells a story that spans the generational divide, exploring a friendship between a grandmother and her rebellious teenage granddaughter. Heide is another established Nova Scotia playwright with dozens of plays produced Canada-wide and in the UK. He is also the Artistic Director of LITF 2008, a fact totally coincidental with this production coming to Liverpool.

The final Nova Scotia authored entry comes from the Red Rock Theatre Company of Wolfville. Red Rock is an outgrowth of the collaborative efforts of director Toni Napoli and playwright Dean Taylor. Taylor has a growing reputation in the province with a number of recent productions, mainly in Annapolis Royal. His plays also have a habit of turning up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where his latest, “Them” recently ran with full houses four out of five nights.

2008 LITF Adjudicator, Christopher Shore, Executive Director of Theatre Nova Scotia remarks on the larger than usual number of Nova Scotia plays entered in LITF 2008.

“People are always surprised by the extent of theatre activity that takes place every year in Nova Scotia, given the relative size of our population. Some of the most talented theatre practitioners in the country have their roots in this province. It’s great to see the work of Nova Scotians featured so prominently at this year’s festival.”

The 9th biennial Liverpool International Theatre offers audiences an unparalleled opportunity to view the best of our province’s amateur theatre scene within an international context. It’s an event not to be missed.

Further information on the LITF 2008 line-up can be found at the website www.litf.ca. Ticket information is available through the Astor Theatre Box Office, 59 Gorham Street, Liverpool, NS. Box Office hours are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Box Office can be reached at 902.354.5250 or online at www.astortheatre.ns.ca.