Superior ratings earned in one-act play Festival

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Several area schools received superior ratings at the State One-Act Play Festival held Feb. 1-3 at Brandon Valley.
They are James Valley Christian School,  De Smet High School, Highmore-Harrold High School, and Huron High School.

JVCS
James Valley Christian School presented “All the Bases,” with a number of awards presented to the cast.
The group of Keziah Appel, Madison Aughenbaugh, Katrina Baltzer, Julia Blom, Marissa Brondsema, Blake Mendel, AbbyRose Miller, Jaime O’Neill, Michael Simonds, Emily Wedel, Mitchell Wipf and Angelina Zuccaro earned an Outstanding Ensemble Award. Matthew Krogstad earned an Outstanding Actor Award.
The cast and crew were directed by Kathy Hofer and Jill Mendel.
Witty repartee, some Shakespeare, and lively music were enjoyed by those attending the comedy. The lesson of the play was summed up by Emily Wedel’s character, “When you try to make art that fits everyone’s preferences, you end up not making art at all.”
“We had eight seniors either acting or working the technical aspects of the play. They are great leaders and they will leave a gap next year,” said director Mendel. “However, we had some returning students as well as new first year students who were naturals on the stage and who were willing to put in the hard work it takes to perform a quality show at this level.”
“We are excited to see these young people develop their gifts,” Mendel added. “Our prayer is that they will use these experiences for God’s glory as camp counselors, Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, and in the career God has for them.”


De Smet
Beth Poppen directed the De Smet one-act play, “O. Henry’s ‘The Cop and the Anthem.’” Earning superior acting recognition were cast members Maxwell Poppinga, Aria Gruenhagen and Sydnee Winter.
“The Cop and the Anthem” is a December 1904 short story by the United States author O. Henry.
“It includes several of the classic elements of an O. Henry story, including a setting in New York and an empathetic look at the state of mind of a homeless man, and an ironic ending,” said Poppen.

Highmore-Harrold
Jackie and Jay Miller of Highmore-Harrold School directed, “That’s Not How I Remember It.” Best acting awards were presented to Shantay Werdel, Henry Knippling, Brianna Beckler, Dylan McDonnell, Thomas Semmler and Madison Bollweg; and ensemble awards for Lainey Aasby and Haley Husted.
Mom and Dad love to tell the story of how they met in 1986 — “pretty much the most awesome year ever,” said Jackie Miller. “The trouble is, they remember their courtship completely differently. Mom's version makes their meeting sound like a sappy romantic comedy while Dad somehow makes himself the star of a karate battle.
“It’s a crazy homage to bad 1980s movies and the inadequacies of memory,” she said.
Members of the cast and crew are Brianna Beckler, Shantay Werdel, Henry Knippling, Dylan McDonnell, Thomas Semmler, Madison Bollweg, Remington Paynter, Elora Domke, Madison Wieseler, Shiloa Bale, Riley Aasby, Lainey Aasby, Velvet Jessen, Emily Semmler, Mark Hague, Haley Husted, Peyton McDonnell, Colby Rittel, Brody Leisinger, Drew Kroeplin, Kassie Hale, Wendy Sherwood, Kaydence Wentlandt and Coby Aasby.

Huron
“Our Place,” directed by Molly Perry and Chris Stahly won a superior rating, with individual superior ratings awarded to Jack Kluth, Jasmine Snow, Sam Gilbert and Jemma Keleher.
The comedy/drama takes place on a dock extending onto a small lake, where five different stories unfold in the lives of those who seek solace on its calm shore.

COURTESY PHOTOS
Cast members of James Valley Christian School’s one-act play, “All the Bases,” are shown in costume. JVCS is among area schools earning superior ratings at the One-Act Play Festival held in Brandon Valley. Cast members in the De Smet High School one-act play, “O. Henry’s ‘The Cop and the Anthem,’” are, back row, from left, Nikki Berg, Sydnee Winter, Heidi Petersen, Aria Gruenhagen and Carly Wiese; and in front, Michael Schipper, Max Poppinga, Jordan Rusche, Matthew Rusche, Michelle Wiese and Andrew Holland. Crew members not shown are Kami Buchholz and Broden Lesch, and director Beth Poppen. Cast and crew of Huron High School’s one-act play, “Our Place.”