The power of words will carry a group of local performers to the provincial level.
The districts speech arts and drama festival has concluded, with some of the best participants earning a berth on the B.C. stage.
Team P.G. will be made up of Aleisha Ramsay and Brenna Jacobson in the junior delegate positions, Margaret Klassen and Serah Zral will also attend as honorary delegates in that category, joined by intermediate delegates Kate Preston and Elizabeth Klassen, senior delegates Melissa Glover and Jessica Chen, and Shakespearean category attendees Nicholas Gialleonardo, Caitlyn Gairns, Katherine and Nancy Li.
They will compete in Penticton from June 3 to 7.
The styles of material the participants recite have a wide variety, and some do one while others enter multiple categories, but the criteria for being eligible for the provincials is for each performer to do all three of a poem, prose selection, and dramatic scene.
"This year's festival numbers were down a bit from the past but since we are still the largest independent speech arts festival we were still able to send two delegates [per age category] to provincials," said festival spokesperson Melissa Glover.
To the knowledge of local organizers, they are the largest speech arts festival in Canada that doesn't also include dance or music under the same umbrella.
The B.C. festival network has speech arts events in many northern towns, but none are more than three days long. Prince George's large participation pool means they have to span the local event over a minimum five days and has been as many as seven.
The enrollment numbers this year were strong in the Junior category (12 and 13 years old), said Glover, and many of them seem committed to participating in next year's competition at the intermediate age bracket. It feels like a renewal for what is already a popular activity for Prince George youth.
"I think participants are taking more risks with the material they choose than in past years but there are some pieces that are done on a yearly basis, such as Mommy Slept Late and Daddy Fixed Breakfast which is a staple in the festival," she said. Some participants do as many as seven different pieces, all memorized with research on the origins of the writing.
"The voice needs to be well trained as it is the main instrument and the body as well as it needs to take on a character's physical traits," said Glover, who has participated herself since a child and went on to professional acting credits. "Speech arts gives kids a lot of great skills such as being able to speak in front of a number of people, speaking clearly, having confidence, and so much more."
The travel to provincial levels of competition also provide benefits to personal development, which is why so many local youth covet the opportunity.
"The delegates get to meet people from all over the province who share the same passion for speech arts and drama and P.G. participants really do well at the provincial level," said Glover. "You also get to meet a lot of great people and from my experience those friendships last a lifetime.
"This year we had kids as young as eight take on Shakespeare and it was wonderful."
There used to be a national level of competition as well but that has been discontinued. Glover expressed hope it would be revived.
