Writer scoops prestigious award

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22: Owain Johnston-Barnes said he was “completely stunned” that he won the Famous for Fifteen Minutes award, “particularly with the level of the competition this year”.

He added:  I don’t think there was a single weak link, and talking to the people who saw the show, every show was someone’s favourite.

“We had some epic debates backstage as to who might take it, and I assure you that nobody agreed.”

Mr Johnston-Barnes admits that his work is not the finished article and says “there are still sections of my show that I want to go in and tear apart, but that tends to be the case with everything I write.”

 “This contest is pretty much the highlight of the Bermuda theatre year for me.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for people who are interested in writing, acting, directing or pretty much anything else to come in and get their feet wet.

Talent

“When you say Shakespeare, people tend to get nervous about getting involved, but ‘Famous’ is incredibly welcoming, and every year it shows you the real depth of talent we have on this island.”

Tom Coash, overall judge of the competition, said that the judging was very difficult this year as all the plays had something significant going for them.

“I had to read them all several times and think hard about it before the winning play emerged.

“What I particularly liked about A Thousand Words was the plot. There were strong, believable characters who all had clear motives that made for an interesting conflict. I knew why the author wanted us to see this particular moment in time.

“The characters all learned something about life during the course of the play and, as a consequence, so did we the audience.”

For Mr Coash the play was about seeing the value of human relationships and the importance of our memories, both individual and collective.

Further, it was a serious play that also contained humour — something that is hard to achieve.