One-Act Competition Set to Begin This Week for Area Schools

By: Mary Balstad marybalstad@rjbroadcasting.com

Fosston, MN – The Minnesota High School League competition One Act Play contest will begin this week for the subsections of Section 8A. With area schools getting ready to compete in the spotlight, Fosston High School’s one act is expecting a new look to their competition surroundings. Moving from a subsection shared with schools like Bagley and Win-E-Mac to sharing one with Crookston and Ada due to issues caused by COVID-19, this will be a new experience for the Fosston drama program. Theater director Abby Pearson says this opportunity is exciting for both her and her student actors. The one act play Pearson directed this year is “We Are the Sea” by Laura Lundgren-Smith.

Pearson is not alone in her ambitions to direct this historical drama. Assistant Director Mary Balstad and Stage Manager Angie Hanson have helped her along the way, through the ups and downs of practices and behind-the-scenes decisions. Balstad, who is an alum of Fosston High School and the theatre program, says it is a pleasure to see the student involvement on and off stage despite the worries of the pandemic.

Juniors Alexus Perreault, Annika Landsverk and Joe Whedon joined in the conversation to talk about their characters and thoughts on the production. While some have been a part of the program since seventh grade and others just joining, they manage to come together and display the teamwork needed to tell this story of generational trauma. Landsverk, who plays the character of Una, speaks about the personal stories throughout the play.

With set design and construction by Josh Pearson, directing by Abby Pearson with assistance from Mary Balstad and Angie Hanson, and technical run by other Fosston students, the one act play is set to perform Thursday, January 27 at Crookston starting at about 7 P.M. Bagley and Win-E-Mac will compete on Friday, January 28 at RLCC.