One Act Play State Festival, 2023: Three Class AA productions earn "starred performance" ratings
Posted: Thursday, February 9, 2023 - 5:36 PM
After watching and then individually critiquing eight Class AA dramatic productions, a panel of judges rated three of them “starred performances” on Thursday, February 9. This was the 75th One Act Play State Festival and it was held at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul.
The three Class AA productions that earned “starred” ratings were: Rochester Mayo for Icarus, Minnetonka for Honk & Holler and Alexandria Area for The Lovely Bones. Other schools participating in the Class AA festival were Eagan, Spring Lake Park, Buffalo, DeLaSalle and Cambridge-Isanti.
Representing Section 1, Rochester Mayo’s “starred performance” of Icarus by Jessica Chipman was directed by Kim Hill. Rochester Mayo was making its second festival appearance.
Representing Section 2, Minnetonka’s “starred performance” of Honk & Holler was adapted from the podcast More Perfect: Sex Appeal. The play was directed by Lauren Bartelt and Trent Boyum. The Skippers were making their 15th appearance and earned their 13th “starred” rating. Minnetonka earned its previous “starred” ratings in 1969, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Representing Section 8, Alexandria Area’s “starred performance” of The Lovely Bones by Bryony Lavery was directed by Jessica Chipman. Alexandria Area, which was making its 15th appearance, earned its eighth “starred” rating. The Cardinals earned their previous “starred” ratings in 1951, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
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.
Minnetonka
Rochester Mayo
Alexandria Area
