A local high school show is making waves in the annual National Theater School competition, earning a spot in the provincial DramaFest for the first time in the festival’s 80 year history.
Wallaceburg District Secondary School’s production of The Way Home has already received high praise, selected as outstanding production at the Lambton Kent festival. The production also earned a pair of awards at the regional level in Hamilton last month, including an Award of Excellence for Comedic Performance for Oliver Gray, and the cast as a whole was given the Award of Merit for Group Performance in Comedy.
The Way Home was written by WDSS Indigenous Graduation Coach Tyler White in collaboration with the student ensemble. The story honours Tyler’s grandfather, an Ojibwe man from Bkejwanong Territory, who escaped the Mohawk Institute Residential School at age 13.
Students worked closely with Tyler throughout the writing and workshop process, shaping characters, themes, and scenes. Their collaboration created a powerful narrative following Newt, a young girl escaping the Mohawk Institute. Along her journey, she is guided by animals representing Anishinaabe teachings, with traditional stories woven throughout.
The show is now moving on to the provincial competition, taking place at York University in Toronto May 20-23.
A fundraising performance will be held Thursday, May 14 at WDSS. Doors open at 6pm with a suggested donation of $5. The evening will also include an art gallery, concessions, t‑shirt sales, and a photo booth.
Donations are also being accepted through School Cash Online.
