James Forbes, a second-year English major from Grand Forks, BC, captured first prize in the second annual U of L Play Right Competition.
Forbes' play 'Blind Leading the Blind Date' earned top billing in the competition
and won Forbes a $1,500 award. He also receives dramaturgical support from the adjudicating jury, which consisted of Theatre and Dramatic Arts faculty Ron Chambers and Gail Hanrahan, as well as U of L alumna and well-known local actor, Erica Hunt.
Second prize in the contest went to Adam Beauchesne, a fourth-year drama performance major from Lethbridge, for his play 'Wake'. The third-prize winner was Trista Green, a third-year English major from Rosemary, Alta, for her play 'A World of Our Own'.
Beauchesne and Green received $750 and $250 awards respectively.
Forbes' Blind Leading the Blind Date is a comedy about what happens when things do not go as planned, and the love stories that develop as a result. Things go wrong from the get-go when Frank, an incompetent matchmaker, sets up his pal Mike on a blind date and then points out the wrong girl at the restaurant. A series of escalating catastrophes ensue as Frank seeks to correct his mistakes, while Mike tries to win over the sweet and funny Julie in spite of it all.
U of L alumnus Terry Whitehead generously supports the U of L Play Right Competition. Its aim is to encourage excellence and development in student playwriting.
According to Play Right Prize Steering Committee members, Marek Czuma and Barbra French, each of the Theatre and Dramatic Arts faculty, this year's competition attracted 14 entrants, up from 12 last year.
A public reading of the first-prize winning play is scheduled for Friday, Mar. 13 in the David Spinks Theatre at 7 p.m. Admission is free.