2024 Class AA One Act Play Recap
Posted: Friday, February 9, 2024 - 5:27 PM
After watching and then individually critiquing eight Class AA dramatic productions, a panel of judges rated four of them “starred performances” on Friday, February 9. This was the 76th One Act Play State Festival and it was held at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul.
The four Class AA productions that earned “starred” ratings were: Sartell for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Irondale for The Bald Soprano, Prior Lake for Oz, and Park for The Yellow Boat. Other schools participating in the Class AA festival were Performing Institute of Minnesota (PiM) Arts, Rochester Mayo, Cambridge-Isanti and St. Michael-Albertville.
Representing Section 8, Sartell’s “starred performance” of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane was directed by Kelli Killmer. Dwayne Hartford adapted the play from the book by Kate DiCamillo. This was the Sabres’ first “starred” rating in their second appearance.
Representing Section 4, Irondale’s “starred performance” of The Bald Soprano was written by Eugène Ionesco. The play was directed by Janet Paone and John A. Woskoff. The Knights were making their fourth appearance and earned their second “starred” rating. Irondale earned its previous “starred” rating in 2014.
Representing Section 2, Prior Lake’s “starred performance” of Oz by Don Zolidis was directed by Philip Hoks and Dave Tuma. Prior Lake, which was making its fourth appearance, earned its second “starred” rating. The Lakers earned their first “starred” rating in 2020.
Representing Section 3, Park’s “starred performance” of The Yellow Boat by David Saar was directed by Tracy Caponigri and Clark Donnelly. Park, which was making its 13th appearance, earned its 11th “starred” rating. The Wolfpack earned their previous “starred” ratings in 1994, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
The Minnesota State High School League State One Act Play Festival does not involve direct competition. Judges rate the plays according to specific criteria, including pace, blocking, costuming, and projection of the play’s meaning. Each production is limited to 10 minutes of stage preparation and 35 minutes of actual performance.
“Starred performance” ratings are determined by private balloting of the judges. One school from each of eight sections in each class gets to perform at the state level.
For complete information on the festival, including ticket prices, schedules and results, please visit www.mshsl.org/oneactplay