The Crookston High School will be holding performances of their One-Act-Play “#Censored” next week, on Monday, January 23, at 7:00 p.m. in the Crookston High School Auditorium and at Ada-Borup-West High School on Thursday, January 26, where they’ll be competing against four other schools in the subsection competition in Ada beginning at 4:00 p.m.
The play is about a high school art show where a student has made a particular piece of art that many believe is not appropriate and controversial. The story then hears monologues of multiple characters with various points of view about society, culture, authorities, and art.
Beth Carlson is the play’s director and hopes the audience will enjoy the many differing viewpoints the play brings up. “I’m hoping everybody comes in with an open mind because it kind of deals with people having their own opinions of art, especially art in its vast forms, like music, literature, and art,” Beth Carlson explained. “I think what I’ve tried to talk about a lot with our students is that it’s so subjective. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, that kind of thing. Perspective is a really big issue, and I never let anybody tell me what they’re seeing. They all need to have their own version of what they are seeing because everybody’s opinion, even their character’s, are going to be different.”
The One-Act Play seniors shared their excitement in getting to perform for the subsections competition again and are intrigued to see the audience’s reactions and thoughts to their play’s subject when they perform it on Monday night. Senior Zara Baig, who plays the role of Morgan, expressed some mixed emotions about her final year and final performances in the Crookston High School Drama Club after many years of performing. “For me, I have mixed feelings about it. It’s a little bit bittersweet because you go from being the youngest and having a very familiar cast to suddenly having a brand-new cast, and you are the oldest,” Zara Baig explained. “I wouldn’t say this is my absolute favorite play, but it’s definitely special to me because it is my last.” Senior Samantha Rezac, who plays the role of “Sam,” shared that her favorite part of the play is a series of monologues the characters give about the art piece they see. “What I really like is the monologues that some of the characters have because you really get to see different viewpoints and how different people think on situations that occur in the play,” Samantha Rezac explained. “That’s kind of my favorite part, is just to see the diverse thoughts.”
The cast also shared their excitement about performing for the subsection competition in Ada against other local schools in the section. “I really like the competition aspect of One-Act. With three-act, it’s more of working on the play and then performing it for the community,” Sound Technician senior Emily Shea explained. “But, for One-Act, you get to compete and then really show off your skill level for people that really understand it.”
The Drama Club will perform its One-Act-Play on Monday, January 23, at 7:00 p.m. in the Crookston High School Auditorium. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to come and enjoy this short, 32-minute play.
The cast and crew of #Censored include:
- Samantha Rezac as Sam and the Assistant to the Director
- Zac Plante as Jamie
- Zara Baig as Morgan
- Ethan Erdman as Taylor
- Shayla Azure as Chris
- Meliyah Durham as Dana
- Elizabeth Helgeson as the art teacher Ms. Anders
- Hayley Leckie as the Artist
Ensemble members:
- Jaden Newquist as Ensemble Member 1
- Mariele Meyer as Ensemble Member 2
- May Cuno as Ensemble Member 3
- Ella Lancto as Ensemble Member 4
- Kahnen Hansen as Ensemble Member 5
- Maya Aguilar as Ensemble Member 6
Sound and Lights Crew:
- Halle Bruggeman (lighting)
- Emily Shea (sound)
Director: Beth Carlson
Costumer: Phyllis Hagen
Set Builder: Pat Seidel
Artistic Designer: Trey Everett
Pictures of the #Censored dress rehearsal can be found below:
