Review: BMDS’ 17th Annual Playwriting Festival

[Written by Dale Butler]

21 years is a long time to sustain the interest of playwrights who have the task of setting the background, revealing a plot, and resolving the issue presented on a stage with “no children, no music, simple props and no helicopters.”

Since its inception in 2002, over 350 scripts have been submitted and reviewed by three overseas judges, who selected 108 to be performed in front of a live audience. With strict guidelines, six plays are performed, with the winning play selected based on content and not the directing, acting, or lighting skills of the many outstanding people that seem to abound in the midst of the BMDS.

The winner receives the Golden Inkwell prize and joins the ranks of Marg Hammond [2002], Deborah Pharoah [2007], to name but a few, and Flagler College graduate Owain Johnston-Barnes, who is a nine-time Famous finalist and a five-time Famous for 15 Minutes winner. Added to Owain’s accolades, this year, is the fact that he was asked to be the final judge. The winner will be announced on the last night’s performance on April 22.

A variety of plots which sustained the audience’s attention are as follows:

• “This Could Be You” written by Jonathan Land Evans and directed by January Fortune and Grahame Rendell, with actors Kate Farmer and Joanna Heaney, set the template for how playwrights resolve writers’ block, mixed feelings, or discouragement, and want to give up, but are so attached to their idea that they spend lots of time pursuing solutions. The actors did a sterling job of giving us an insight into how difficult writing, even a short 15 minute play, could be.

• “Guarded” written by Jonathan Young and directed by Will Kempe with actors Rickai Richardson [Regiment Guard], Alan Brooks [Governor], and Christine Whitestone [ADC] highlighted a very tense period in Bermuda’s history: the riots of 1977. Brilliantly crafted with tension, suspicion, and a Governor cool-headed while eating dinner and trying to be reasonable, as his ADC was worried about even the presence of his regiment guard. The characters made it appear live and real. The tension was overwhelming; as portrayed by Rickai and reinforced by Christine Whitestone, the Governor, relaxed and tried to reason as Hamilton burned. I lived in the middle of it all and while many left to read whether it was true or not, that scene captured the pressure and nervousness felt in Bermuda at that time.

• “Roly Poly Punch” written by the Friday Night Collective and directed by Adam Gauntlett, with actors Stephen Notman, Kathi DeCouto, and Harmony DeCouto, highlighted things that couples talk about: “dreams, cleaning house, children, cars, and nice things.” The dating scene in Bermuda took centre stage with a bartender who knew everything as she served a male customer, still married but interested in romance as he talked with a woman determined to remain single. At the end we learn why he finds himself in this predicament. In “Famous for 15 Minutes,” the playwright revealed the reality of Bermuda, and the actors were genuine as they highlighted aspects of different relationships.

• “Mother Knows Best” written by Heather Conyers and directed by Deborah Joell, with cast Shawn Angiers, Nicola Flood, Arnold Griesel, and Kelly Gilmour. Matchmaking is a passion to the point where a blind date ended up between a brother and sister. But even this didn’t stop matchmaking efforts. The cast were magnificent with the portrayal of an incessant matchmaker from an era long gone.

• “Red Solo Cup” written by Helen Zoellner and directed by Emily Ross with cast Che Barker, Aziza Furbert, Leire Hernandez, and Reuben Flood in a zany plot to get pregnant. The acting worked as we laughed and were revolted with a plot that will be talked about for days. “How do you like your flower?” “Pollinated.” Well done actors!

• “The Game of Tens” written by Jan Quinn and directed by Laura Bardgett, with cast Kelly Gilmour, Arnold Griesel, and Brendan Fourie. What does an unhappy, angry couple do when they are stuck in an elevator with divorce on their minds, and during a game we learn about their courtship and the deep-seated reason behind their estrangement?

This was an amazing night of theatre, and the audience received a real treat with a variety of plots, some silly and others intense. With an excellent props tech crew on the ball and a sound and lighting crew precise, we received a first class night of plays that highlighted the tremendous talent existing on the island, from playwrights to actors.

While “Famous for 15 Minutes” was off-air, as it were, we have seen a burst of fresh ideas and vitality post-Covid pandemic.

- Dale Butler is the Professor of Local Music. He has written several full-length plays which were well received. He is a fan of “Famous for 15 Minutes” but prefers to attend and enjoy the festival as compared to undertaking the difficult task of writing one of his own. [Photos by Vorhees Joel]

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