PLAYfest Serves Up Theatre Feast

September 6, 2022

Nanango was the place to be for theatre lovers last weekend when the Nanango Theatre Company staged its inaugural Heritage NananGO PLAYfest.

Twelve one-act plays were performed over four sessions at the Nanango Cultural Centre.

The event was officially opened by local councillor Jane Erkens.

NTC convenor Jon Fearnley said patrons were treated to a broad range of theatrical styles, ranging from comedies to stark dramas.

The plays – and actors – were competing for a total of $3000 in prize money, sponsored by the Heritage Bank in Nanango.

The historical drama, “The 146 Point Flame”, took out the top $1000 prize for Best Play as well as the People’s Choice prize of a bottle of champagne.

“The 146 Point Flame” is based on a tragic factory fire which occurred in New York City in 1911. The play was staged by Burpengary’s KSP Theatre .

Jon said the quality of plays presented across the weekend was astounding.

The festival attracted plays from the South East Queensland Drama Festival Circuit, and was judged by Mark and Shirley Lucas, from Excalibur Theatre at Caboolture.

The People’s Choice result was a surprise to many as it won over a number of slick comedies and poignant dramas however the adjudicators praised the decision, saying it showed a real maturity in the audience.

Nanango Theatre Company players presented three plays, including “Speed Dating” which was runner-up for Best Short Play.

Local actors Natalie Fenton won Best Minor Female role and Hayden Harrison was named Best Minor Male role for his depiction of a night club bouncer. Jon said this was Hayden’s first stage performance since high school.

“Their director Valerie Mathews was ecstatic with the results and so pleased for the actors after all their work in rehearsals,” Jon said.

“Distance”, a drama performed by Nanango’s Beth Geoghegan and Neil Melville, also received commendations from the adjudicators as did Beth for her direction of the Toowoomba Repertory Theatre’s dramedy “Towpath”.

“A feature this year were the quality plays presented by TLC Strike Theatre from North Lakes,” Jon said.

“They were rewarded with all the Youth Section prizes for ‘Remember’ and ‘Ever After’, with all the acting and encouragement awards, as well as the open Best Director Award, making it a very successful weekend for them.

“As a group, they were wonderful ambassadors for theatre and their school.”

Jon admitted he was relieved that PLAYfest had been such a success. He thanked Heritage for their support and the team of volunteers.

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PLAYfest winners

• Best Play – “The 146 Point Flame” (Drama)
• Best Play (Other Genre) – “Time Flies” (Comedy)
• Runner-Up Drama – “Towpath”
• Runner-Up Comedy – “Blind Date”
• Best Short Play – “Remember”
• Runner-Up Short Play – “Speed Dating”
• Best Director – Clara Aleckson (“Ever After”)
• New Australian Script – “Red Dot”
• Best Set Design – “Time Flies”
• Best Female – Julie Anne Wright (“Blind Date”)
• Best Male – Sam Hoepner (“Time Flies”)
• Support Female – Casey Berends (“The 146 Point Flame”)
• Support Male – Graeme Kerr (“The 146 Point Flame”)
• Minor Female – Natalie Fenton (“Speed Dating”)
• Minor Male – Hayden Harrison (“Speed Dating”)
• Adjudicator’s Award (Sound Design) – Russell Jensen (“The 146 Point Flame”)

Youth Awards

• Direction and Vision – Clara Aleckson and Opal Francis (“Ever After”)
• Youth Female – Maisie Waite
• Runner-Up Youth Female – Sophy Yau
• Animation and Empathy in Character – Tasha Duthie
• Maturity and Strength of Conviction – Tamika McCoy

People’s Choice Award

• Voted by season ticket holders – “The 146 Point Flame”

[UPDATED]

  Arts, Nanango