The winning streak continues for the Dewdney Players Group Theatre. Its production of Alien Boy received three awards and rave reviews at the Provincial One Act Festival last weekend in Fort McMurray, overcoming tech obstacles and tough competition. Stephen Buoninsegni was awarded outstanding male actor and Alien Boy was awarded outstanding tech achievement in addition to most outstanding play, which director Fiorentina Maione said, “is basically the best of the entire competition.” “Steve and I have worked together for about 10 years acting and directing together. This is our fourth time at provincials and our fourth win — that really hasn’t been done before,” said Maione. Alien Boy is a monologue about a Jewish man recounting his 13th birthday and the experience of learning he was gay while existing in a society he struggled to be accepted by, working as a whole to illuminate the repercussions of fear and hate. “Everybody I spoke to felt very moved by the piece. They felt like they were right in the middle of it,” said Maione. “I always pick pieces that are extremely challenging for both the actor and the director.” The piece was also very challenging technically. Several parts involved sound and light effects occurring simultaneously after cues given by the actor. Additionally, the tech crew faced the difficulty of performing in different theatres with very little preparation time. “There was so much that could go wrong and there was potential for it to be quite disastrous, but nothing actually did go wrong,” said Maione. Maione was quick to praise Logan Coutts and Brandon Duarte for their technical success in the local and provincial productions. “It was recognized as outstanding, and it really was outstanding,” she said. “I wanted to convey the strong and heavy and deep human emotion that this play was all about. In order to do this effectively, the actors, as well as the tech, had to be very cohesive, follow a certain pace, and bring the audience on the journey.” Duarte said that it felt fantastic to be awarded for his work at a provincial level, as tech work often goes unnoticed. “I think it’s more just because we’re in the back,” he said. “It’s not something we [audiences] always think of — when it’s not working, we see it. But when it’s working, we think, ‘oh, this is nice’.” In contrast, Buoninsegni’s work onstage is often recognized. He has won 12 acting awards throughout his career. However, he admits that he still struggles with personal doubt and negative thoughts. “I think we all struggle with our own demons. If we were to peel away the facade that we all carry around, we all suffer and struggle in our own way,” said Buoninsegni. This existential theory is what caused Alien Boy to appeal to Buoninsegni in the first place. “When we tell our story we try to make it more broad in its perspective so people see that its not just about homosexuality or being a Jew,” he said. “Its about human beings experiencing those things [self-esteem challenges] as a result of any kind of prejudice.” Buoninsegni said he identifies with his character’s negative feelings, but it benefits his acting. “It’s everything, really, because then you can speak from the heart. The audience feels the emotion and the conviction and the sincerity - they’re moved when you’re moved,” he said. Ironically, Buoninsegni said that while theatre is often perceived as fake or phoney, it is often the most real. Despite the prevalence of Alien Boy’s themes in his own life, Buoninsegni has felt nothing but support from his family and members of the Dewdney team, particularly Maione. “The one thing that I wish is that Florence [Maione] would have won best director,” he said. “She is just an outstanding individual. “It’s not just my victory, it’s our victory. I really can’t take the credit, I just can’t. I’m pinching myself and thanking God every day.” Maione suspects that she and Buoninsegni may take a break from one-act plays to pursue other things, but she hopes to work with him again in the future. In the meantime, the Dewdney Players Group Theatre will keep Okotoks entertained. Its production of Alice@Wonderland will be showing in July.
