One act plays offer multiple themes, challenges

Senior Hannah Wise and junior Jack Goodlaxon rehearse their roles in "No Fading Star" Oct. 29. (Photo by Andrea Kemp/DCN Staff) [Click to enlarge]

Justice, freedom and love. Laura Tinker, a sophomore at Spirit Lake High school, can sum up the themes of the three one-act plays that will be presented by the Spirit Lake Drama Department in three simple words.

Thomas Higgins, language arts and drama instructor at Spirit Lake, notes three very different themes for each production. He describes the first, "The Charge is Murder," as "a basic courtroom drama," the second, "No Fading Star," as a fact-based story of nuns who save Jewish children in Nazi Germany and the final play, "Lovers in Midsummer," as a farce adaptation of Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream."

Higgins knows that each script provided its own challenges to his students.

"Many actors can pick up a script and deliver light, fluff stuff," he said. "It takes somebody with a little bit more talent, insight, study, those kinds of things, to look at a more complex character and try to portray that on stage."

Higgins also knew there would be advantages to selecting three performances.

"In just a regular play, you just get to play one character all the way through," Higgins said. "This way we have several students who are appearing in more than one play, and it gives them more chances to show their talents in more ways than just one."

Zachary Westemeyer, a sophomore with roles in "No Fading Star" and "The Charge is Murder" has had no problem switching between his two roles.

"Actually, its pretty easy because we only have one act, and one character really isn't as major as the other," Westemeyer said.

The plays are also helping to prepare students for the upcoming Iowa High School State Speech Association's Large Group Contest. According to Higgins, Dr. Julia Bennett, associate professor of theatre at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., will be on hand to judge the plays, choosing the best of the three to be polished and finally prepared in the "one act play" category at speech contest.

Higgins hopes the added pressure of having a judge on hand during the performance does not phase the actors.

"Actually, you're judged anyhow," Higgins said. "Everybody in the audience judges you when you have a performance, I don't care if it's a play, whatever, anything you do; people have a tendency to judge you anyway. It will give them exposure to an expert opinion to what they're doing (and) me, too. She'll say some things that will be useful to me and then I'll learn, too."

Westemeyer isn't fearful of Bennett's presence.

"The judge isn't judging me personally, (she's) judging the plays," he said.

Above all, Higgins hopes the audience takes away the large amount of talent present on stage for each separate production.

"That's why we're here," Higgins said, "To entertain them, but also I hope that they see that these students are very flexible and capable of doing many different things."

"A Night of One Act Plays," presented by the Spirit Lake Drama Department, will take place in The Sami Center for Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 6 and 7. The Nov. 6 production will feature a spaghetti dinner proceeding the show from 6-7 p.m. All those interested in purchasing tickets should contact Spirit Lake High School at (712) 336-3707.