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Powell River youth shine at BC Festival of Performing Arts

Speech artist Alenor Boyd wins category at performing arts competition
Alenor Boyd
STAR TURN: Speech arts competitor Alenor Boyd [above], 16, received the top prize in her category of intermediate Shakespeare at BC Festival of Performing Arts held recently in Victoria. Fellow Powell River entrants Nicolas Colosanto, 14, and Haley Spenst, 17, achieved honourable mentions in their categories. Contributed photo

A trio of local competitors from Powell River received high praise and recognition at the recent BC Festival of Performing Arts in Victoria.

Nicolas Colasanto, 14, earned honourable mention in classical guitar, Haley Spenst, 17,received an honourable mention in intermediate musical variety and Alenor Boyd, 16, won in her category, intermediate Shakespeare.

In order to qualify for provincials as a competitor, performers must win their respective category at Powell River Festival of Performing Arts. For Boyd, who has been involved in speech arts for 11 years, the experience was exciting and a bit nerve-wracking.

“I was a little out of my element,” said Boyd. “It was my first time qualifying for provincials. It was a totally new setting. We had different acoustics and the stage was a little rickety.”

The monologue she performed ended with her character dramatically storming off the stage. This provided an outcome she had not rehearsed.

“When I went to run offstage the stage suddenly split beneath my feet,” she said.

Despite the stage malfunction and some butterflies, Boyd triumphed.

“I did one of Helena’s parts from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, act one, scene one,” said Boyd. The soliloquy provided lots of opportunity to practice her theatrical skills, she added.

“I got to flop around and cry all over the stage and be very dramatic,” she said.

Boyd said she was first introduced to dramatic speech arts by Kim Knowlson, a teacher when she was a primary student at Henderson Elementary School.

“When I was in grade two she brought me along with the grade five class to watch the monologues and she got me hooked on it,” said Boyd.

Knowlson, who now teaches at Edgehill Elementary School, recently invited Boyd to perform her monologue and talk to her class, an experience Boyd said she treasures.  

“It’s like going full circle,” said Boyd. “I’m now helping with the people who helped teach me. It touched my heart.”

Unlike many of her competitors, Boyd is self-taught and relies on her mother Kate’s help to learn her scenes.

“Most people go to lessons, but I’ve always just had my mom support me,” she said. “We figure it out together.”