2024 Class A One Act Play Recap

After watching and then individually critiquing eight Class A dramatic productions, a panel of judges rated two of them “starred performances” on Thursday, February 8. The 76th One Act Play State Festival was held at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul.

The two Class A productions that earned “starred” ratings were: Belle Plaine for Angels of Bataan and Russell-Tyler-Ruthton for The Diviners. Other schools participating in the Class A festival were Bagley, Avail Academy, Sauk Centre, Fillmore Central, Two Harbors and Barnesville.

Representing Section 2, Belle Plaine’s “starred performance” of Angels of Bataan was directed by Tony Hartmann and Dylan O’Brien. The play was written by Tracy Wells. Belle Plaine was making its 20th appearance and earned its 18th “starred” rating. The school earned its other “stars” in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023.

Representing Section 3, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton’s “starred performance” of The Diviners was written by Jim Leonard Jr. and directed by Neil Witte and Erick Harper. This was the second “starred” rating for the Knights in their 12th appearance. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton earned its first star in 1999.

The Mnnesota 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, please visit www.mshsl.org/oneactplay