Workshop Director
Herman Voaden Playwriting Competition
Queen’s University and the
Thousand Islands Playhouse
January 2016
As a part of the 2016 Herman Voaden Playwriting Competition, I had the great pleasure of directing the workshop of this year’s runner-up: Lac/Athabasca by Len Falkenstein. A gripping ensemble play about the effect of the oil industry, Lac/Athabasca connects the oil sands of Alberta with the oil refineries of New Brunswick, with colonialism, Canadian history, train disasters, and everything in between. It’s a beautiful piece about contemporary Canada and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work on it alongside such an incredible cast.
This biennial nation-wide open competition, named to honour the Canadian pioneer playwright Herman Voaden, is judged “blind”. The judges select the Winners and Honorable Mentions without knowing the names of the playwrights. Herman Voaden (1903-1991), Canadian playwright, director and theatrical innovator, was a lifelong champion of Canadian culture. This competition, made possible by a generous bequest from Mr. Voaden’s estate, is dedicated to his memory and honours his goals to develop a distinctively Canadian art of the theatre and to encourage the writing of Canadian drama.
Photos by Rob Kempson
Directed by Rob Kempson
Sound Design by Daniel Maslany
Starring Alison Deon, Rong Fu, Ash Knight, Danny Mahoney, and Daniel Maslany
Stage Management by Isabelle Ly