The best plays from each of the eight, class 1-A sections across Minnesota perform this one day, at the College of St. Catherine’s O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul.The schools represented this year were: Ada-Borup; Delano; Sauk Centre; Belle Plaine; St. Charles; Aitkin; Pipestone Area; Wadena-Deer Creek.
The plays presented were:
And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson -- Jim Leonard, Jr.
This is a Test -- Stephen Gregg
Good Mother -- Damien Atkins
A Bright Clear Sky -- Kristina Halvorson
The Bald Soprano -- Eugene Ionesco
The Greek(ish) Myth of Marcyonome -- Alan Haehnel
TV -- Jean-Claude Van Itallie
The Boat -- Jay W. Patterson
The first play of the day was the Jim Leonard, Jr., piece, And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson. This was a tough play to start off the day. An "issue" play about the effects of polio -- the effects, not physically, but the emotional and sociological effects of having the crippling disease. The cast managed to keep high energy, and there were some real nice tableau pictures (specifically the preacher, congregation, and the girl staring out, and the holding up of the metal legs). However, there were some problems here. The change of characters was confusing. I thought that the lead boy was revisiting, through flashbacks, an event in his life, when actually he was playing multiple roles. The girl with polio was incredibly bland. The father was a cardboard character. Overall, and uneven work that had potential.
This is a Test by Stephen Gregg, was an outstanding comedy. The choreographed timing and the small details helped to make this piece really flow. Sound effects were carefully timed and used well. The only down-side to this piece was the young lady who played the role of the teacher. She didn't understand how to wait for the laughs before beginning her next line, and we lost a lot of what she had to say. A really, really good production.
Damien Atkins' Good Mother was another "issue" play. At issue here was the effects of a stroke on the matriarch of a family. I felt that the lead actor did a pretty good job as the mother with the stroke, but her character before the stroke lacked any compelling characteristics. The gal who played the nurse was good, and the boyfriend was very believable, but over-all I was underwhelmed.
A Bright Clear Sky by Kristina Halvorson was a refreshing change from the issue plays of most high school dramas. This story centered around an extended immigrant (Norwegian) family through the hardships of a fierce midwestern winter. Overall I thought that the acting was pretty good, and very consistent. I did think that there was too much crying and wailing by the women on stage when the men were about to head off into the storm, and I felt that the script itself was somewhat weak. A good job of acting and a decent job of directing. Could have used a better script.
My favorite, Eugene Ionesco, was here again with the production of The Bald Soprano that I quite enjoyed at the Section contest. The play lacked the spark that I saw last week, but still managed to hold its own. I still disliked the giant ear and the dancing chicken/cuckoo.
The Greek(ish) Myth of Marcyonome by Alan Haehnel was a new work to me, and I rather enjoyed it. Though it had a certain element that made it a "high school" piece rather than a stronger, professional-type play, I thought that it was mostly well done. I did have trouble hearing some of the chorus' lines, and I thought that the role of Marcy was inappropriately cast, but I laughed in all the rights spots, thanks to a cast and direction that seemed to get what they were doing.
I'm familiar with the works of Jean Claude van Itallie, and you're not likely to find me doing any of his works. His TV was an ambitious work that didn't quite manage to pull off what the school was likely going for. I liked the idea of the dichotomy of what was going on on the large television as to the hum-drum goings on in the studio control room (?), but there was so much going on that it was difficult to focus. The cast managed to keep a very high energy level throughout, for which I applaud them. The idea behind the set was quite creative. The challenge of the piece was laudable. The presentation of the work has to be in question, though. What was the studio that the three people were working in? What was their relationship? Why did the tv get quite sometimes when the volume knob was turned, but not always? The work should speak more politically and socially. What did it mean when the people on tv came out to invade the world? A clearer concept could have helped this piece a lot.
The Boat. By Jay W. Patterson. Oh, god. It is almost an exact copy of the production that this school did last year, called The Clown of God. Same school. Same original author. Same damned set. Same direction. Same boring shit. ...Sorry. I just cringed when I saw that the set was nearly identical. Exzcept that instead of a bath tub center stage, in which a character sat and never left, this time it was a boat center stage, in which someone sat. I disliked last year's play, and I disliked this year's play. It was a "tear-jerker." Or supposed to be. Instead, it comes across as didactic and melodramatic. And, as with last year's, the judges seem to like it. Which only goes to further my point that the judges aren't qualified to judge crap.
Overall, I once again felt that the level of productions was not nearly as impressive as they should be. The plays in our Section competition were altogether on a much higher level than these at State. Why is this?
I have nothing to gain by not liking these plays. In fact, I'd really like them to be outstanding so that I can show my student actors the reason that they don't move on. To give them something to shoot for. Instead, we all wonder what we've done that could possibly be considered inferior.
