Last year, the festival had its Vernon debut. This year, it鈥檚 bigger and better than ever.
The 18th annual kicked off at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Monday, drawing in more than 360 students from 20 schools across the Interior for professional workshops centred around theatre, film and TV.
鈥淚 think the magic of this festival is some of the kids only see each other once every year and look forward to making new friends every year,鈥� said festival coordinator and Seaton Secondary drama instructor Lana O鈥橞rien.
Now in it鈥檚 second year in Vernon, O鈥橞rien and fellow organizer and Summerland drama instructor Linda Beaven said Vernon is the perfect town for the festival to flourish.
Beaven originally kickstarted the festival in 1999 in Summerland alongside fellow instructors Sandra Richardson and Mike Robinson to provide a hands-on program for Interior students interested in pursuing a career in the arts.
鈥淚 think in their own schools, art students tend to be outsiders,鈥� Beaven said. 鈥淗ere they think, 鈥極ther kids are just like me.鈥欌��
O鈥橞rien agreed.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a fellowship. They kind of already all speak the same language,鈥� O鈥橞rien said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an understanding of how you work in a theatre.鈥�
Unlike in the Lower Mainland, Beaven said, students in the Interior don鈥檛 have the same access to careers in the arts. To mitigate that shortfall, the Goodwill Shakespeare festival brings in industry professionals to teach the students the ropes. And, in that aspect, Beaven said the festival excels.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just sitting at your desk. I think, at the end of it, they think, 鈥業 can do that,鈥欌�� Beaven said.
鈥淚t kind of opens the world to them. That鈥檚 why this was started,鈥� O鈥橞rien added. 鈥淭his is a way of bringing it to our rural kids. Any education in the arts is critical for the development of young humans.鈥�
Students value the opportunity so much that they start banging on their doors as early as September, they said.
In addition to a growing crowd, this year鈥檚 festivities also offer two new intensives: photography and tech.
鈥淲e also put out opportunities for kids who don鈥檛 enjoy the performance aspect of theatre,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
Separated into two groups 鈥� the drama groups and intensive groups 鈥� students in the drama strand rotate through a sampling of workshops in a variety of fields. Intensive students focus on workshops surrounding one specific sector and must have attended two previous festivals and/or have a strong interest in their chosen field.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just something magical about getting these art students together in one place,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
After relocating from Summerland, the festival lost its primary sponsor and is searching for community support. O鈥橞rien has started a page with the goal of raising $10,000.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very expensive endeavour,鈥� O鈥橞rien said. 鈥淲e鈥檇 love to help keep the festival growing.鈥�
Eight schools will showcase performances from their schools Monday and Tuesday evening from 5-7 p.m., and on Wednesday from 1-3:30 p.m., the acting, choral, writing and photography students will be showcasing the work they have done over the three days of the festival at the Gala.
All of these performances are open to the public by donation, at the Performing Arts Centre, with donations going toward future festivals.
