DramaFest 2022
March 27th, 2022
PARTICIPANTS
EPISODE ONE​
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Together But Apart
Trinity College Dramatic Society
Written and Directed by Shelley Mayer
CAST
Emma Janusky, Nidhil Vohra, Shelley Mayer, Nicholas Spina, Aylin Salahshoor, Sujan Chowdhury
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PRODUCTION
Producer: Valerio Greganti
Stage Manager: Anna Novak
Sound Designers: Shelley Mayer, Anna Novak
Sound/Projection Operator: Anna Novak
Lighting Designer: Shelley Mayer
Lighting Operator: Charlie Olsen
Set Designer: Shelley Mayer
Costume Designers: Emma Janusky, Nidhil Vohra, Shelley Mayer, Nicholas Spina,
Aylin Salahshoor, Sujan Chowdhury
Co-Composers: Emma Clarke, Duncan Hall
Mix Engineer/Additional Music: Bennett Luo
Score Programmer/Music Supervisor: Danial Sheibani
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a look through a window
UTM English & Drama Student Society
Written and Directed by Chloé Castrucci
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CAST
Nasim Sedaghat-Ramirez, Ava Patterson
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PRODUCTION
Stage Manager: Anthony Palermo
Lighting Design: Anthony Palermo
Lighting Operator: Sydney Scott
Sound Design & Sound Operator: Chloé Castrucci
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EPISODE TWO
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Under A Scorpion Sky
UC Follies
Written and Directed by Maggie Tavares
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CAST
Ava Azaria, Tammy Yu, Aria De Castro, Nezar El-Rayes
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PRODUCTION
Technical Designer / Lighting Operator: Avery McMillan
Costume Designer: Gabe Woo
Audio Visual Operator: Julian Da Silva*
Stage Manager: Samara Tower
Producers: Cass Iacovelli & Abigail Lewis
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Student #10
The Company of Studen #10 (Independent Submission)
Written and Directed by Ethan Persyko
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CAST
Chloe Ali, Nithin Eluvathingal, Alon Sadiv Shavit, Khishore Shivakumar, Teagan Smith, Nezar El-Rayes, Dylan Corey, Mika Deneige, Taqua Jasim, Medha Wadhwa, Hasti Zahed, Emma Clark, Naira Bahrami, Mechelle Wu, Rishabh Kalra
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PRODUCTION
Producer: Ethan Persyko
Stage Managers: Taqua Jasim, Nithin Eluvathingal, Ethan Persyko
Sound/Lighting Operators: Sabrina Mukhida, Owen Ristic
Sound Designers: Bowen Xu, Ethan Persyko
Lighting Designers: Ethan Persyko, Sabrina Mukhida
Set Designers: Ethan Persyko, Rebecca Moya
Costume Designer: Ethan Persyko
Graphic Designers/Social Media Coordinators: Bowen Xu, Ethan Persyko
Photographer/Filmmaker (Internal): Masha Le Do
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EPISODE THREE
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Black Stack
SMC Troubadours
Written by Julia Rapai
Directed by Julia Pape
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CAST
Jean Kim, Isabella Gillard, Abi Akinlade, Giorgio Suppa, Davide Sallese, Larissa Pringle, Skye Reid-Calder
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PRODUCTION
Producers: Chloë Flowers, Victoria McIntyre
Stage Manager: Helen Ho
Original Score by: Lucas Ricci
Assistant Stage Manager / Props Manager: Ava Harrington
Stagehand / Props Manager: Audrey Lee
Sound: Anna Novak
Costume Manager: Barbara Athanasoulas
Lighting: Hannah Weinberg
Projections: Roxana Moise
Stagehand / Set Builder: Ethan Magnus
A Terrible Beauty is Born
Victoria College Drama Society
Written by Thérèse Naccarato
Directed by Valeria Venturo
CAST
Matthew Richard, Sujan Chowdhury, Emma Kidd, Ethan Verderber
PRODUCTION
Producers: Lisha Shaikh, Joyce Xuan, Jeff McHarg
Stage manager / Sound Operator: Hemali Ratnaweera
Set designer / Projection Designer & Operator / Stagehand: Naira Bahrami
Lighting designer: Sabrina Mukhida
Costume Designer: Gabe Woo
Stagehand: Gemma Naccarato
Stagehand: Makayla Panico
Dramaturg: Madison Zinger
WINNERS
Awards of Merit:
1. Victoria College Drama Society
Outstanding Ensemble Performance
A Terrible Beauty is Born
2 The Company of Student #10
Outstanding Achievement in Community Building
Cast and Crew of Student #10
3. UC Follies
Honourable Mention for Set and Lighting Design
The Design Team for Under A Scorpion Sky
4. SMC Troubadours
Honourable Mention for Playwriting
Julia Rapai for Black Stack
IATSE Local 58 Award for Technical Achievement
College: SMC Troubadours
Play: Black Stack
Awarded To: The Design Team of Black Stack
Janet Bessey Award for Excellence in Stage Management
College: SMC Troubadours
Play: Black Stack
Awarded To: Helen Ho
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Donald Sutherland Award for Best Performance
College: SMC Troubadours
Play: Black Stack
Awarded To: Abi Akinlade
Robert Gill Award for Best Direction
College: Victoria College Drama Society
Play: A Terrible Beauty is Born
Awarded To: Valeria Venturo
Robertson Davies Playwriting Award
College: Victoria College Drama Society
Play: A Terrible Beauty is Born
Awarded To: Thérèse Naccarato
President’s Award for Best Production
College: Victoria College Drama Society
Play: A Terrible Beauty is Born
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This year, student-written entries were filmed on stage at Hart House, with COVID-19 restrictions in place for the performance including the use of masks and social distancing. The filmings for Virtual Release were done in presence of the Festival Adjudicator who provided both public and private feedback to the Festival Participants. The festival was aired on World Theatre Day in the format of three episodes.
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DramaFest 2022 Adjudicator: Brian Postalian
Brian Postalian (Ô²Ö€Õ¡ÕµÕ¶ Õ“Õ¸Õ½Õ©Õ¡Õ¬ÕµÕ¡Õ¶) is an arts administrator, educator, and creator born and raised in Toronto/Tkaronto by way of Armenia, Ireland, Wales, and the Czech Republic. Brian is the founding Artistic Director of Re:Current Theatre, which is dedicated to creating work that reimagines gathering. Together with his company, he produced the sold-out SummerWorks hit The Smile Off Your Face and most recently the digital tour of New Societies from Upintheair Theatre's eVolver Festival to Kingston's Kick & Push Festival and into Crow's Theatre's main season programming. Brian’s work has been featured on “Best of the Year” lists, received Outstanding Direction (NOW Magazine), Best Production (SummerWorks 2017), nomination for Outstanding Direction (MyEntertainmentWorld), and continues to make collaborative work that redefines what we think of as theatre. A reviewer once described him as “clearly unafraid to try just about anything." His work co-creating Access Me with the Boys in Chairs collective will be published by Playwrights Canada Press as part of Interdependent Magic: Disability Performance in Canada in Spring 2022.
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Brian is a sessional instructor within the School of Performance at X University and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto and Simon Fraser University. He completed a Master of Fine Arts at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts in Theatre Game Design and Interdisciplinary Performance Studies. In his spare time, he likes to visit used book stores, revisit childhood video games, ride his bicycle, play with his dog Amie, and is learning how to draw and play the Armenian duduk. Brian currently lives on the unceded Coast Salish territory of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations. www.brianpostalian.com