The spring play – A Simpler Time – will be held this weekend at Crookston High School. This will also be the last production for three seniors – Sophia Rezac, Victoria Proulx, and Linnea French.
French said the seniors all put together bios for the play’s program. “If (people) come, they can read through all of our senior bios with our experiences,” said French. “You kind of reminisce over all the plays you’ve done throughout the years. I think this is a good play to end senior year because we’re always going to think of our past and simpler times, especially middle school and high school, with our families paying taxes. I think in the future, I just have to remember this is my present, this is what my life is now, and I should just go with the flow and have fun with it.”
Proulx said it’s weird to think that this is her final play at Crookston High School. “It’s weird for this to be my last high school production,” said Proulx. “I’m hoping to do more in the future, but it’s weird this being the last time on the Crookston stage.”
It will be a fun final play said, Rezac. “I’ve been in every production since my 9th-grade year,” said Rezac. “So, this is definitely hard, this being my last play. But I’m glad this is my last play as it’s a fun production.”
The play deals with the concept of time travel, explained Proulx. “This play revolves around time travel with three time travelers are looking for a simpler time,” said Proulx. “They go back in time. We have a seem in like medieval time, one with the founding fathers, one in like 1918, another futuristic (scene), and one traveling all throughout time with a similar storyline.”
French said the play, in part, is a play on history through comedy. “The play this year is pretty much finding a simpler time and realizing the past isn’t as bad as we think it is,” said French. “It’s inciteful, but we wrap it in a blanket of comedy to make it a little more manageable to swallow.”
French plays several characters in the play. “I’m playing a variety of characters ranging from medieval European Winifred, who is a little ignorant in her knowledge, all the way to Martha Washington, who was a pioneer of the role model for women in that time,” said French. “Going through all of those roles is a really fun experience to be able to portray different characters and experience different forms of comedy through them.”
Proulx also said this play is different and talked about the variety of characters she’ll embody. “Definitely, this one has been very different than the plays I’ve done before,” said Proulx. “It kind of reminds me of a one-acts that I see because there are a bunch of different scenes. It’s not just one story; it’s like a bunch of mini-stories. I play a bunch of different people. First, I come out as Adelaide, and she is the daughter of a merchant in medieval times. They are trying to marry her off to this one lord, but she doesn’t really want that. And they kind of think she’s insane, so you see how they try to cure her insanity. Then I come out as Dolly Madison, who is James Madison’s wife, and I’m helping write the constitution. Then I come out as Helen, who is a woman working in a factory during World War I, and she’s really hoping to have a weekend happen because she’s working 16-hour days for 12 days in a row. And finally, my last role is the parent of Ethan Erdman. I want him to go on a hike, but all he wants to do is read about James Dean in his magazine.”
Rezac has been involved with the past productions handling the sound and lighting. More than other productions, Rezac said the sound and lights are important to this show. “Since the beginning, I’ve run in the tech booth doing sound and lights,” said Rezac. “This production, I’m doing the lights, and newcomer Halle Bruggeman is on the soundboard. Definitely different from the one-act, Dark Road, where it was more on-stage. This show is definitely more sound and light run.”
Besides managing the lighting for the show, Rezac created all the sound effects herself. “I was actually the one who made all the sounds on my computer, which Halle Bruggeman is running. We have Christmas lights for the time machine that we plug into the back, and I control from (the booth). The rest is some basic front-center, front-side, and side (lighting).”
The performances are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available from the students in the production and will also be available at the door.
CAST & CREW –
Emily Shea – Marley
Elizabeth Helgeson – Taylor
Jazmine Doyea – Chris
Ethan Erdman – Frendrel, Alex, Dad, Parent/Child
Linnea French – Winifred, Martha, Woman in the jumpsuit, Child
Georgie French – Dr. Cornwallis, Tom, Teddy, Parent/Child
Victoria Proulx – Adelaide, Dolly, Helen, Parent
Logan Melvie – James, Mr. Gordon
Samantha Rezac – Eliza, Ruby, Mom
Zara Baig – Dora, Judy, Child/Parent
Sophia Rezac – Assistant to the Directors/Lights
Halle Bruggeman – Sound
Beth Carlson – Director
Brandon Adams – Assistant Director
Phyllis Hagen – Costuming
Gaye Wick – Costuming
Pat Seidel – Set Builder
Trey Everett – Artistic Designer
