Local Journalism Initiative
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, EnergeticCity
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local production won several awards at the province’s community theatre festival which took place in Fort St. John this year.
Over 100 performers travelled from around B.C. to put on their productions during the week-long festival, including entries from five different theatre companies alongside the host, and they were then all judged by an adjudicator.
Stage North Theatre Society’s production Bluebirds netted four awards during the festival’s ceremony and banquet on July 12th.
They included the runner-up prize for best play, the Burnaby Award. Emry Mika secured the Bill Elliott Award for Best Director and Stevi MacGillivray was given the Best Actor in a Female Role. Rounding out the winners for Bluebirds was Heather Truscott, who won Best Costume Design.
“This was my first time directing a show with less than 25 people in it. So it was a good challenge to work with just three actors.”
Emry Mika, Best Director
The play, depicting the experiences of three nurses during the First World War, was written by Winnipeg-based Vern Thiessen back in 2022.
Mika told Energeticcity.ca she was “proud” of how the cast and crew “came together” and overall the play was “a joy to work on.”
“I usually direct musicals,” said Mika. “That’s more where my comfort layer lies. This was my first time directing a show with less than 25 people in it. So it was a good challenge to work with just three actors.”
While the crew had to adjust to a “shorter rehearsal period” due to other productions put on by Stage North, Mika says they “hit the ground running” for an opening in Fort St. John in May.
“I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that they would call my name.”
Stevi MacGillivray, Best Actor
He described winning the award alongside MacGillivray and the other members of the production as “an honour.”
Meanwhile, MacGillivray was in the Okanagan watching the ceremony on a stream when her name was called.
“I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that they would call my name,” said MacGillivray. “When you’re around all of the other groups, it’s really humbling. We all know how much work it takes to get here and we all know how many hours we spend.
“[We’re] just from a small town, and you’re just happy to be in the presence of everyone and happy to be there.”
Ted Sloan, the local chair organizer for the Mainstage Festival, said Fort St. John was “well received” by the other production companies from around the province, including entries from Chilliwack, Port Alberni, the Cowichan Valley, Vernon and North Vancouver.
“The festival [was a] huge success,” said Sloan. “We were really fortunate. [Other companies] kept saying ‘wow, you have such a beautiful part of the province. Wow, what great facilities. Wow, what great hospitality.’”
The Mainstage Festival is Theatre BC’s annual celebration of community-led theatre. The next Mainstage will take place in Vernon in 2026.
