"It's Not a Boy" - A Juvenis Festival Play Exploring the Controversial Issues That Face Youth

If you live or go to school in Kingston you may have heard of the Juvenis Festival. This week-long festival is all about showcasing young artists and giving them a place to keep working on their talent. The Juvenis Festival runs yearly in May and is produced by its parent company Blue Canoe Theatrical Productions Inc., a non-profit youth theatre in Kingston. What makes this festival unique is that it is completely run by young people, which the Juvenis Festival classifies as ages 13-30, giving the young artists of Kingston an opportunity to perform, create or produce. Perhaps the best thing is the structure of the festival; not only can the young artists present their art, but the festival provides workshops and masterclasses, such as ‘SFX Makeup’, ‘Audition Techniques’ and even ‘Origami’.

But the festival is almost over! Today, May 7th, is day 9 - the second last day - and among the events is a 2 hour long collection of four short plays, titled Out of Sight, Out of Mind. This show tackles the often little spoken controversial issues that face youth. The Juvenis Festival does warn that the subjects are mature so anyone who hopes to attend should read the synopsis of each play (located on their website). Out of Sight, Out of Mind ends today, with performances at 11am and 2pm.

One of the plays in Out of Sight, Out of Mind, entitled It’s Not a Boy, follows the story of University student Marnie, played by Sam Lee, and her difficult decision to have an abortion. In this heartfelt (yet still comedic) play, Marnie gets an abortion then throws a party - an anti-baby shower if you will - to celebrate her sexual agency, but also to cope with the reality of the situation. Her friends show their support by throwing the party and by trying to celebrate and respect her choice. But as the party goes on, and Marnie's ex Daniel shows up, the jokes covering up the gravity of the night start to give way to the tension fostering behind everyone's differing views on Marnie's decision. It’s Not a Boy is an original play written by Sarah Currie and directed by Alisha Grech and captures the complexity of sexual decisions and the right to one's own body with the perfect mix of humour and seriousness. The team behind this one-act play are perfect examples of the talented young artists the Juvenis Festival strives to give opportunities to.