|
FLHS student actors perform in state one-act play competition |
|
|
|
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 |
Jennifer Larson
Community Editor
For the first time in Forest Lake High School history, student actors presented a one-act play in the state festival. The FLHS play, “The Boys Next Door,” recently earned first place in the region 7AA One Act Play competition. The cast and crew joined seven other schools at the state festival on Feb. 8 at The College of St. Catherine O’Shaughnessey Auditorium.
“They got a lot of positive feed back from the judges,” said Jill Whitney-Birk, director of the FLHS play.
According to Whitney-Birk, the one-act play is a competition-based theatre event that goes on every year in January or February.
The Minnesota State High School League sponsors the program and sets rules for competition. Each school selects a play of their choice to perform but it must be under 35 minutes in length, Whitney-Birk noted. The cast and crew must not exceed 20 students.
At every level of competition, she said the plays are judged on acting and vocal quality, characterization, technical smoothness and overall effectiveness by three judges who then rank each show in order of preference with number one being the best.
The three ranks from the three judges are added and the lowest scores are best, she said. The first level of competition this year was sub-sections on Jan. 26 at Forest Lake. Local students competed against plays presented by North Branch, St. Francis, Princeton, and Cambridge.
On Feb. 2, the top two shows from both the north and the south met at North Branch for the sections. Out of the four – St. Francis, Forest Lake, Duluth and Hermantown – Forest Lake placed first, securing a spot at the state festival.
“The Boys Next Door” is written by Tom Griffin. Whitney-Birk adapted the full length play to a mere 33 minutes.
It is about three mentally handicapped men (Arnold Wiggins played by Gweir Glewwe, Lucien P. Smith played by Sam Kolbow, and Norman Bulansky played by Derek Waller) who live in a group home. It shows in both comic and poignant scenes some of their adventures, Whitney-Birk said.
The cast is completed by Ben Tolzmann who plays Jack Palmer the mens’ overseer, Bailey Parenteau who plays Norman’s girlfriend Shelia and Bre’Elle Ericson who plays a neighbor and a senator. The crew is comprised of Sara Palmer, Leigh Sieverson, Rich Zeigler and Jessica Kelley.
Whitney-Birk said the young actors, all sophomores and juniors, tackled a very sensitive and difficult subject and have created realistic, consistent and believeable characters.
“They have done a wonderful job with the show and have been rewarded for their efforts with a trip to the state festival,” she said, “something that Forest Lake has not achieved in recent memory.”
|
