TYNE VALLEY, P.E.I. — Playwright Thomas MacDougall was honoured at the 2019 Fundy Fringe Festival last week with the Outstanding Original Script award.
The Tyne Valley-born MacDougall received on Aug. 24, and also earned a membership to the Playwright’s Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC).
PARC supports Atlantic playwrights in script development, building connections with theatre companies, and preserving works though their archives, giving MacDougall resources for his future productions.
MacDougall is a recent graduate of St. Thomas University (STU) with a double major in English (creative writing) and communications & public policy. His first play "And Above All" premiered at STU’s What’s Next? Theatre Festival in 2017.
His winning play, "The Host", is a 1950s-inspired sci-fi that follows Maritime radio host Curt Riley, as he prepares for the interview of a lifetime while under the pressures of government regulation, corprate interests and a threat from beyond the stars.
"The Host" debuted in Saint John, N.B., at the Mary Oland theatre. Produced by Fredericton-based Grey Rabbit Theatre Co., it was one of the 18 performances up for the Fundy Fringe awards.
The play was inspired by MacDougall’s work as an assistant to the coordinator at the 2018 Tyne Valley Oyster Festival. His hometown’s aesthetic and personality are the heart of the production, although the events and people of "The Host" are pure fiction.
“It was a big idea, a wild and controversial idea. I beat myself up over the script and characters more than anyone, but I knew Saint John needed to meet Curt Riley. That people needed to see this,” said MacDougall.
He was happy to win the top prize and to reach others through his work, said MacDougall.
“I felt a crushing wave of relief when I won… I didn’t need the award, I just wanted to reach people. I shouldn’t have been so worried. Sci-fi and Seafood… they’re fun! If you can be fun and accessible, even with wild ideas, people will listen. They might even enjoy themselves.”
Fundy Fringe Festival is part of the bigger Fringe Festivals organization - a growing community throughout North America that works to support independent artists and actors to create affordable spaces for local theatre. They’ve committed to being un-juried, uncensored and accessible to audiences and artists - and the ticket revenue is returned to the artists, 100 per cent.
