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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-03-05, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5,1997 For Teens, By Teens Top Ten: favourite productions of the Sears Drama Festival By Ashley Gropp The Sears Drama Festival for the district was in Elmira this past week. Fourteen plays from 11 schools competed over the four nights. On Wednesday night three plays were performed. Bluevale did 10 Ways to Abuse an Old Woman which was about a woman whose family had to deal with her as she approached senility. F. E. Madill then performed Dusting and ^Deliverance, a comedy about a senior who believes she is the Messiah. Waterloo Oxford's The Interview concluded the evening in an artistic way. To clone or not to clone: the moral question By Mark Nonkes Could you ever imagine that someone might look identical to you? This is common with identical twins. But imagine that, if for instance 3,583 people looked exactly like you, everything that makes you look unique is gone. Could this ever be possible? Well...yes - the technology seems to be in place now as Dr. Ian Wilmut and a team of scientists from Scotland cloned a single sheep from an adult cell. They call her Dolly. This has possibilities for agriculture; all these sheep with the same genetics to be a top animal in its breed. Dairy cows could be next, I suppose, all producing enormous amounts of milk - but you better put a bigger number tag on them because you wouldn't be able to recognize them by any other features that sets them apart anymore. President of the United States, Bill Clinton, has called for the creation of a committee to investigate the ethical implications of cloning and other scientific developments. It is definitely somewhat disturbing to think of what the future might have in store for us. On the other hand with genetic engineering some diseases may be put to an end. I imagine everyone's personality would be different, and for once, the inside would count, not the outside. People would have to get to know one another before they could pass judgement. It could end some prejudices. It is bewildering to me how you would remember someone upon seeing them, when so many others looked just like them. You would only have a name to go by. We have often seen look- a-likes or twins trade places with each other in the movies causing lots of confusion - we could have a lot more confusion with cloning. Our world population would finally level off and people who weren't able to have children before could easily, if cloning were allowed. Endangered species would increase and our wild animals could be saved from extinction. But on the down side, it would be easy to make animals for their body parts to sell, or, as in Frankenstein, humans for vital organs to save others. Would that be right? It certainly will be a hot discus­ sion topic for the next while, because there are so many moral questions. After all what makes people so special is that they are all unique, each contributing to the well being of this world and each other. Everyone in this world needs each other. So, Dolly, thank you, but at least for myself, I prefer diversity rather than your identical copies. Thursday night began with Company of Angels, a musical about a musical, by Bluevale. Then came Steven Leacock's The Raft performed by the Onn sisters of Blyth in comedic style. Tragedy Expelled by Stratford Central was a true story based on an English acting family. The last play of the evening was St. Mary's Thread of Fate a tale of destiny and crucial decisions. The next night, Listowel opened with a story about the Vietnam War entitled The Wall Within. Goderich then showcased their southern comedy, Tall Tales from the Kentucky Cycle. St. Michael did a story about a teenage boy whose bleak outlooks are shared by his love interest. The evening ended with a musical performed by the host school - Elmira Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Saturday, the final night, Listowel's second play, No Exit, was an interesting twist on what hell truly is. Dracula was next, done by Stratford Northwestern. Stratford Central concluded the festival with a play about a teenager who is unsure about his religion called And the Air Didn't Answer. Congratulations and good luck to the cast and crew of Jacques Brel, The Wall Within and The Interview who were chosen to represent this district at the regional festival from April 9 - 12 in Burlington. TOP 10 PLAYS OF SEARS 1. F.E. Madill, Dusting & Deliverance (I'm a little biased) 2. Central Huron, The Raft (be­ cause my boss is biased, too) 3. Elmira, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris 4. St. Marys, Thread of Fate 5. Listowel, The Wall Within 6. Waterloo Oxford, The Interview 7. Stratford Central, Tragedy Expelled 8. Bluevale, Company of Angels 9. St. Michael, Ghost Dancer 10. Stratford Northwestern, Dracula (These are opinions of the writer). OFF THE WALL SOB 1 MICROTECH COMPUTERS By Erin Roulston Sports has its tournaments. Swimmers have their swim meets, school bands have competitions, too! Participants travel to compete against other schools for the trophy and hope that they can advance to the next level. Last weekend I attended a drama competition in Elmira. It was called the Sears Drama Festival. This is the high school equivalent of the Oscars with awards for best actor and actress and stage manager, best ensemble and most outstanding play. The latter is given to three schools which will advance to the regional level, then possibly the provincials. The festival lasts four days. It begins on Wednesday and ends Saturday night. The days are filled with workshops and social events and at nignt there are three to four shows from schools all over the area (see Ashley Gropp's article). Each of those schools is given a two hour 'tech run' during the day in which they must familiarize themselves with the stage and lighting equipment. To prepare for the festival the students rehearse anywhere from two to 20 hours a week for two to three months. A lot of work goes into it. But what comes out is worth it. On the night of the show you can find dozens of nervous teenagers in costume and excitedly hugging each other. You see stage crew rushing around in black clothes, checking to make sure everything is ready. You see the tech crew with their headsets on, speaking quietly through the mike to those hidden backstage. The show begins. The actors fight to hide their nervousness, acting out the scenes as they have so many times before. The show passes quickly and soon it's over. The whole team is hugging and jumping up and down; all are relieved and so excited and pleased with the show they have done. The students are marked on the setup and takedown time of their stage, the length of the show, headset chatter and, of course, the quality of the play. Usually there are enough awards that almost every show gets at least one, even if it's an "Award of Merit." The greatest thing, I think about this festival, is the incredible camaraderie among schools. It isn't super-competitive. Everyone is friends with everyone else. We all_ cheer for each other and encourage them. Even if a person doesn't like a play, they still will congratulate its stars on a job well done, because they recognize all the work that goes into it. Another great thing is the friendships made. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet people, lots of people, with interests similar to your own. The friendships made are many. The final night of the Drama Festival is a very emotional time. There are tears of joy for the winners, and sadness for those who didn't. There is a frantic rush among the students to say goodbye and exchange addresses and phone numbers. It is after midnight when all the students, laden down with suitcases and sleeping bags wave goodbye and yell ... "See you next year!" CANON - HEWLETT PACKARD 10 KING STREET CLINTON ONTARIO 519-482-3363 AUTHORIZED IPC DEALER MDL DOORS 887-6974 the (Doors to the ‘future Open Beautiful Styles to Make your House a Home Available through your local MDL Dealer y RADFORD AUTO y r FARM AND L INDUSTRIAL PARTS Looking for a Gift Idea? Look no more! We are coming up with new gift ideas all the time. 38 3/4" Torque Wrench (150-650 lb. Torque spec) At Blyth and Brussels Stores 523-9681 887-9661 Gifts for her and him, gift wrap & gift bags Hop to it and check it out! BLYTH GENERAL STORE Queen St., Blyth 519-523-9785 ★EXTRA* Sumi F**f Glow-in-the-dark Bowling Come in and gel a glow on! 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