The Camping Guy lights a fire at one-act festival

It was a pretty good couple of weeks for Shaunavon author Dianne Greenlay.

On Saturday, the Shaunavon resident celebrated the successful conclusion of another Darkhorse Theatre production,”Play On.”

Greenlay served as the show’s director as the local drama group celebrated its 25th anniversary.

That wasn’t anything new for Greenlay who is a founding member of Darkhorse and has been involved in all 44 of the group’s productions, including directing 14 of the shows and acting in another 17.

But “Play On” wasn’t the only stage production where Greenlay enjoyed success.

“The Camping Guy,” a one-act comedy written by Greenlay, won some major awards at this year’s Theatre One Festival held in Strasbourg Nov. 13-15.

The Camping Guy was performed and produced by members of the Regina Little Theatre.

The play won awards for Best Play, Best Actors        (John Chaput and Kevin Rispler), and Best Director (Glen Butz) at the Theatre One Festival, (which is the provincial one-act play competition.) It also received honourable mention for the competition’s Technical/Back Stage Award.

“I was so happy to hear that it won so many awards,” said Greenlay. “I knew from seeing the performance as done by Regina Little Theatre in October that Glen Butz and the two actors and their stage manager had done a great job. So I was really pleased and not at all surprised to hear of the awards that they earned.”

Greenlay added, however, that the Best Play honour was an unexpected treat.

“That’s quite a compliment and I’m thrilled,” said Greenlay. “In fact it has given me the encouragement and energy to think about writing another play when I’m done with my third novel.”

As well as its presentation at the Theatre One Festival, Regina Little Theatre also performed the play during its one-act cabaret over two nights (Oct. 24-25) at the Regina Performing Arts Centre.

Greenlay wrote “The Camping Guy” during the Christmas holidays of 2003.

The original play starred local actors Norm Lavoy and Mike Greenlay as two  mismatched campers on a weekend retreat. Reminiscent of television’s and        theatre’s “The Odd Couple,” “The Camping Guy” follows the misadventures of Earl, an experienced woodsman, and Johnson, his inept city slicker client, as they spend a camping weekend in the wilds of the Rockies. What was intended to be a de-stressing weekend soon turns into a distressing one, as these two mismatched campers find themselves engaged in unintended and hilarious situations.

Last year, Greenlay published “The Camping Guy” in both a short story form and as a one-act play.

Greenlay has also published two award winning novels – “Deadly Misfortune” and “Quintspinner: A Pirate’s Quest.”

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