Sydenham High School veterans at Sears Festival

Jeff Green | Apr 01, 2010

The Sydenham High School drama club almost passed on the Sears Festival this year when they could not pull together a production they had been planning. Instead, they split into two groups and brought 20 minute long, three actor pieces called Philistines and Farmers and The Poetics.

Both plays won awards at the Festival, and the production of Poetics, by Canadian playwright Jason Sherman, was one of three plays chosen to move on to the Regional Festival in Cornwall.

Philistines and Farmers starred Curis Law, Geoff Hull and Courtney Sproul. It was an ensemble directed piece. Courtney Sproul was the stage manager and Megan Tidman handled the lighting.

The Poetics starred Dylan Parsons, Ana Donefer-Hickey (who won an acting award of excellence) and Emelie Myles-Gonzales. Stephanie Brown was the stage manager, Julie Sleeth handled the lighting, and the piece was directed by the ensemble.

Dan Raponi runs the drama department at SHS, and he has been working with this same group of students for four years.

“They really are the best student group,” he said, “and they are all graduating this year.”

Most of the above listed people worked on last year’s SHS Sears production of “the Virtuous Burglar”, which also moved on to the regional festival and on “Our Town” last June. They have been hard at work on “the Importance of Being Earnest” which will be the culminating production of this school year.

“It’s going to be an incredible production” Raponi said.

The Philistines and Farmers and The Poetics will be performed at the high school within the next couple of weeks.