2010 SECTION 1-A ONE-ACT PLAY FINALS -- Saint Mary's University

The top two winners of the various Sub-Sections compete for the ONE spot to perform at the State level.

Competing schools and their directors were:
Cannon Falls -- Joseph Burns
Kasson-Mantorville -- Melissa Ferris
Rushford-Peterson -- Forrest Musselman
Spring Grove -- Sarah J. Holland
St. Charles -- Theodore Derby
Stewartville -- Nick Johnson
Triton -- John Schreiber
Wabasha Kellog -- Cris Medina

Plays performed were:

"The Swimmer" by F. Xavier Hogan
"The Bald Soprano" by Eugene Ionesco
"All I Really Want to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"  by Robert Fulghum
"A Play With Words" by Peter Bloedel
"The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon" by Don Zolidis
"Deus Ex Machina" an original production
"Everyman in the Circus of Life" by Travis Tyre
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving


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A long day of high school drama.

I'd seen "The Swimmer" a couple of weekends earlier, and it hadn't improved much.  Some interesting concepts, but some strangely added sexual references did nothing for the play.

I love the play "The Bald Soprano" but this has to be the worst production I have ever seen.  Clumsy direction, sloppy set, challenging acting, and added lines not part of the original script.  Again, there was some interesting concept here, but I don't think it went far enough.

The production of "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" was remarkably wonderful.  It could easily have gone over-board and gotten 'sappy,' but it didn't.  The direction was incredibly clean, with perfect transitions between scenes.

Like "The Swimmer,"  I had already seen "A Play With Words."  The larger stage environment didn't help this production.  It's jokes and jabs needed a more intimate setting.

"The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon" is gaining in popularity at high school play contests.  It allows for one or more really out-going students to shine.  Personally, I find it annoying.  This production was fair.  The one I saw one or two years ago was fantastic.

"Deus Ex Machina" was clearly the crowd favorite.  High energy and fast action really keeps the audience excited.  Story-wise it's ... well... "story?"

I'd also seen "Everyman in the Circus of Life" before.  I just don't like the play.  It's didactic and dull.  Given that, the cast did a fine job of moving through the morass of the dialog.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" had one of the nicest looks of the day, but the actual performance suffered from under-rehearsed acting and too much reliance on one boys 'evil' laugh.

My choices for the competition:

1st place-- "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"
2nd place-- "Deus Ex Machina"

the absolutely shocking and asinine result:

1st place-- "The Swimmer"
2nd place-- "The Bald Soprano"

Clearly the judges have little to no training in theatre.

ALMOST, MAINE -- Viterbo University

produced by: The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre
presented by Viterbo University NexStar season
playwright: John Cariani
director: Laura Gordon
cast: Steve Haggard, Elizabeth Ledo, Gerard Neugent, Deborah Staples

In a remote, 'almost' town in Maine, residents find themselves falling in (and out) of love.

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Disappointing.

Really, there isn't much more to say about this.  Perhaps my expectations were too high, but really, I went in to this knowing nothing other than that it had been a prize winner and was supposed to be funny and touching.  What I found was not a play, but a series of vignettes that relied WAY too much on a punch-line which was often a physical, literal interpretation of a metaphorical saying ("waiting for the other shoe to drop" would be the most obvious).

Was it amusing?  Yeah, sort of.

Was it touching?  Yeah, sort of.

Was it memorable?  No.

Was it worth the $35 a seat?  No.