ARVIAT
The John Arnalukjuak High School Drama Club's production of Dear Santa was a challenge well met this past month in Arviat, said the play's director.

Santa (Justin Suluk) checks out how the toys are coming along with elves Phooey (Myles Kolit), Skiffle (Eden Owlijoot), Piffle (Rose Kalluak) and Fiddlesticks (Elsie Gibbons), from left, during the production of Dear Santa in Arviat this past month. - photo courtesy of Damaris Nutarasungnik

Gord Billard said the young actors did a great job.

He said the level of their performance surprised him and a lot of other people.

"Bob Leonard, our mayor, comes to all of our shows and he attended both public performances of Dear Santa," said Billard.

"He told me the day after our final performance he thought it was the best play we've ever done.

"This play was quite demanding on the students and they pulled it off with shining colours."

Billard said lead actor Justin Suluk, who played Santa Claus, is especially noteworthy because he was still struggling with the role a couple of weeks before the show, only nailing about 70 per cent of his lines.

He said by the time dress rehearsal arrived, Suluk was delivering his lines at about a 95 per cent clip.

"He was only stumbling once or twice during a two-hour play, which was incredible.

"He really carried the show and delivered an outstanding performance."

Billard said the crowds were down a bit this year, with fewer than 100 out for opening night.

He said that improved to about 150 the second night, which was a nice, comfortable crowd for the school theatre.

"It certainly wasn't a full house, but, if you were standing on stage, it looked full because they were spread out everywhere.

"And the play was very well received by everyone I talked to.

"It was a little dicey for a while because there were so many lines being missed leading up to dress rehearsal.

"But, when the pressure was on, they hunkered down, did their work and delivered a great performance."

Billard said he hopes the club performs one more show this school year.

He said he's still contacting people in hopes of taking a show on the road, but that may have to wait until the following year.

"I've been playing around with two or three ideas for our spring show.

"There are some people who want me to do a musical. I've thought about revisiting the Agatha Christie murder-mystery idea, and I was given a play called Night this past summer that's in Inuktitut and English, which might be interesting to do.

"It was written by a guy from Ontario who formed a theatre group in Pond Inlet a number of years ago and it's since been published.

"It's something we may be interested in doing."