After the Newmarket International Festival of One Act Plays (NIFOAP) most successful season to date, its actors, directors and plays are being honoured at an annual awards ceremony.
Among the awards are best actors Aleksandra Maslennikova and Robert Mcneely, best director Jackie English, and best play Stray Cats, according to a news release.
The seventh annual festival produced by the Very Useful Theatre Company (VUTC) broke records for attendance, "as well as setting standards for excellence on the stage," organizers said of the September event.
The 2023 festival also included workshops for both the young and senior companies, as well as a VUTC Young Company workshop on working with deaf actors.
Also, it featured original music compositions in the self-written plays, while the senior company featured an actors and directors workshop led by Lee Wilson, who has numerous credits in theatre, particularly for Shakespeare, having been the founding member of the Resurgence Theatre Company that hosted Newmarket’s Shakespeare in the Park for a decade.
The festival received a record 212 entries this year from hopeful playwrights around the world and raised $2,000 for Inn from the Cold shelter.
Here are the 2023 award winners and nominees:
Best Actor:
- Mary Rose Talani: I Miss You Already (written by Rose Scollard)
- Robert Mcneely: Provenance (written by Ian Patrick Williams)
- Alexsandra Maslennikova: get it off yer chest (written by Jordana Belaiche)
- The awards go to: Aleksandra Maslennikova — Best Performance by an Actor in a Female Role; Robert Mcneely — Best Performance by an Actor in a Male Role
Best Director:
- Jackie English: Stray Cats
- Marlene Charney: Shapes & Stanzas (written by Ken Preuss)
- Kay Valentine: One Night Stan
- Winner is Jackie English
Best Play Production:
- Stray Cats: Written by Derek Groulx, directed by Jackie English
- One Night Stan: Written by Adam Szudrich, directed by Kay Valentine
- Provenance: Written by Patrick Williams, directed by Bruce Williamson
- The award goes to: Stray Cats, a play about two homeless Indigenous friends, Derek Groulx, playwright
President’s Award:
- To the outstanding behind-the-scenes person, Olena Ivaschenko, who also designed both the festival and theatre company logos.
The VUTC Young Company will host their awards on another night featuring awards and certificates being issued to:
VUTC Young Company winners:
- Young Company Playwright of the Year Award: Rayna Rodriguez
- Director’s Award of Excellence: Rayna Rodriguez and Charlotte Clementine Kolas
- Actor’s Award of Excellence: Leah Lapsker, Jean-Luc Gallucci, Magdalene Katsinos
- Certificates of Recognition:
- Emerging Actors: Ariella Lapsker, Giovanni Cardoso Baccaglini
- Emerging Director: William Couper
- MVP Certificate: Sierra Zucca
Newmarket International Festival of One Act Plays Awards and Appreciation Night takes place Friday, Nov. 10, upstairs at the Hungry Brew Hops Restaurant, 211 Main St. S., Newmarket, with dinner at 7 p.m. and awards 8 p.m.