-Traveled to St. Cloud on Monday; Public Performances Jan. 26 and 27
Pine City High School’s One-Act Play, “slasreveR neveS,” took part in its first festival at St. Cloud State University on Monday, performing alongside outstanding competition from as far away as Eveleth-Gilbert, Eden Valley-Watkins, Delano, and Sauk Rapids-Rice. Pine City’s unusual comedy stood up well at this early invitational but demonstrated that work still needs to be done before Sub-Section Festival on Saturday, January 28.
“The play we have selected this year is extremely challenging to both the actors and audience, but it has also been a really fun process,” says director Brad Mariska. “The students are really stretching themselves as actors and technicians. We’re not quite there yet, but I look forward to sharing this with the community on January 26 and 27.”
The play, which spells “Seven Reversals” when read backwards, is a creative comedy penned by Alan Haehnel in 2005 and attempts to lampoon theatrical convention – and convention in general – through a series of seven short scenes that reverse common assumptions of language, emotion, and plot. The cast consists of 17 students and two crew members.
Pine City will also compete at a festival in Cambridge on Friday and host an exchange with Mora on Tuesday before their public performances for Pine City audiences on January 26 and 27 at 7pm. Admission to the play is only $2, which will be donated to the Pine Community Food Shelf.
Pine City looks to qualify for the Section Finals for the fifth year running. The local thespians have been one of the area’s most successful programs since 2008, with critically lauded productions of “A Thousand Cranes,” “All in the Timing,” “The Exonerated,” and “The Arkansaw Bear.”
