THEATRE DRAMA

March 6th-8th The Driftwood Players hosted Kaleidoscope, bringing community theatres from across our state for a weekend in Edmonds. Kaleidoscope is the official biennial Washington State Community Theatre Association Short Play Festival sponsored by AACT. The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) is the national voice of community theatre, representing the interests of its members and over 7,000 theatres across the U.S. and the armed forces overseas.

This was the 2nd time in recent years The Driftwood Players hosted the three-day event. Welcoming a record breaking 11 theatres at the competition gave Washington State the opportunity to send two theatre companies to Coeur d'Alene ID for the Regional contest April 17th &18th 2009.

The Driftwood Players shares the honor of Outstanding Production with Bremerton Community Theatre, beating out productions such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Graceland. Driftwood & Bremerton will be advancing to the Regional contest. The outstanding cast & crew includes;

Rory Backman as Alan
Shay Carlucci as Larry

Producer-Ian Gerrard
Director-Zanne Gerrard
Stage Manager-Lisa Hawk
Scenic Design-Ralph Eaton
Costume Design-Rachel Bowen
Sound Design-Ian Gerrard
Lighting Design-Syrinda Sharpe
Properties Master-Ian Gerrard
Fight Choreography-Paul Ray

The Driftwood Players presented their Alternative Stages production of Minnesota Moon by John Olive, best know for his children's plays commissioned by Seattle Children's Theatre, to compete in Kaleidoscope 2009.




The premise is simple; two high school buddies, Alan (Rory Backman) and Larry (Shay Carlucci), are sitting in the moonlit yard of an abandoned farmhouse in southern Minnesota, drinking beer, laughing, sharing stories and saying good-bye. Alan leaves the next day for college on scholarship, Larry's opportunity is unknown. It's 1968 and Vietnam looms in their futures. Rory Backman and Shay Carlucci, both relatively new actors, handled the script admirably bringing Olive's work to life with the guidance of Zanne Gerrard directing. Driftwood produced Olive's script as part of the Alternative Stages season in February and was controversial with audience and critics.

The play tells the bitter-sweet story of angst & leaving the known for a world bigger than two 18 year olds. Once past the brash & awkward way that young men try to express themselves, the audience is treated to an unexpected development of the characters in a short span of time and the twist of a casual conversation between friends struggling to become intimate. The deft portrayal of interesting characters and an unusual take on the topic made the show an ideal candidate for Kaleidoscope 2009.

As an added bonus, the national competition will take place in Tacoma this June, placing Washington theatre in the national spotlight.

Minnesota Moon will perform 8pm on Friday, April 3rd at The Wade James Theatre, 950 Main Street, Edmonds. This will be a special performance to help defray the costs of sending the production to the regional competition in Idaho. Tickets are $15 for admission and a chance to win one of many Minnesota-themed door prizes and meet the cast and crew to wish them well in Idaho. For tickets call 425-774-9600 or visit http://www.driftwoodplayers.com.