Lighthouse Festival Theatre is proud to announce that Fair and Square, the new comedy by Lighthouse Artistic Director Derek Ritschel that made its world premiere in Port Dover this summer, has been nominated for a 2018 Tom Hendry Award by the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
From a field of 41 new comedies submitted by playwrights from across Canada, Fair and Square was one of three scripts shortlisted for the Stage West Comedy Award.
Fair and Square, which comedically delves into the challenges faced by two couples trying to renovate and flip a house while navigating choppy emotional waters, is up against Misericordia by Damien Atkins and Buying the Farm by Shelley Hoffman and Stephen Sparks, a regular on the Lighthouse stage.
Lighthouse audiences loved the combination of laughter and heart that made Fair and Square a special part of our 2018 summer season. Thanks to this accolade from the Playwrights Guild of Canada, theatres across the country will have the opportunity to read Ritschel’s script, along with the other nominees, and stage this Lighthouse-commissioned Canadian comedy at their theatres.
“It’s a thrill. It certainly wasn’t expected,” said Ritschel, who had been mulling over this story for years until a running injury sidelined him for a few months and gave him the time to flesh out the idea and characters into a fully formed script.
“I was definitely writing for the Lighthouse audience,” he added. “But now to have it go on a national scope – how do you quantify that? It really is a pleasant surprise. A huge thank you to everyone who helped me along the way with Fair and Square.”
The jury that selected the Comedy Award nominees consisted of chair Samantha MacDonald, Kristen Da Silva, Warona Setshwaelo, and John Spurway.
Playwrights Guild of Canada is a registered national arts association that strives to promote Canadian plays and playwrights at home and abroad.
The Tom Hendry Awards will be presented on October 28. Congratulations and best of luck, Derek!