One act advances to sections

Posted on: Feb 3, 2021

The first round of one act competition looked different than normal last weekend, but Delano’s performers excelled despite the adversity posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to advance through subsection competition against a handful of bigger schools.

Delano’s production of “Exposure” by Vishesh Abeyratne took third place with 7 points, right on the heels of first-place Buffalo (5) and second-place Rogers (6). Other schools in the competition included Anoka, Coon Rapids and St. Michael, which all finished in double digits.

“Squeezing by this year, and being so close to the other top two schools, was really motivating because it shows that we can compete against bigger schools that have more money or more production,” said senior actor Hunter Elwood. “I do honestly think we are pretty competitive when it comes to these larger schools.”

Delano High School language arts teacher and one act play director Joe Lawrence pointed out that DHS has an enrollment of around 750, while the other subsection schools range between 1,600 and 2,500 students.

“We are the smallest school in our section by far. The schools we compete with are two to four times larger, and most of their varsity actors have a great deal of experience specializing in drama,” said Lawrence. “We were praised for our fundamentals of acting (diction, expression, projection, characterization and design).”

The story
“Exposure” tells the uncomfortably realistic story of a girl who makes a bad decision at a party, the result of which is captured on video and posted on social media. 

“It’s about how Jenna, her family, and her peers cope with a series of poor decisions, which are made due to the insecurity and isolation that cause kids to look for ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ that tend to latch onto salacious and humiliating memes,” said Lawrence. “I chose it because its setting is the digital world our kids are inhabiting these days. Most of the ‘dialogue’ they have with each other is through cellphones and done through ‘social’ media.”

Delano actors said that the play’s depiction of very real circumstances faced by modern students was both valuable and unnerving.

“I love the fact that this play is so close to real life,” said senior Noah Lind, who is participating in his first drama production. “You can just connect on a similar level as all these characters do - always being online, and social media kind of has a hold on everything.”

“When I first read through it I felt really uncomfortable because it’s real,” said Elwood. “This scenario that we act out is something that happens daily to people in the world. So being part of the show, it helps you understand how to behave and respond to these things. It exposes the fact that we are controlled by the perception of people through social media and in person. 

“But the show also does a great job of showing that even after some big events, life moves on. Not everyone will remember or even care. Being able to understand and re-enact something so real and dramatic, as well as show progress and how to move forward, is not only a learning experience for students and people that watch, but the actors themselves.”

COVID adjustments
While the subject is sobering, the isolation portrayed by the characters made it easier for Delano actors to present an effective show despite COVID-related safety restrictions. One of those restrictions was that actors could not be within six feet of one another or their school would be disqualified.

“I’m super glad we did the show that we did, because all the characters are generally in their own rooms,” said senior Mari Olson. 

While schools typically gather at a common site to perform before judges, this year’s competition involved a one-take video recording of the 30-minute performance. Schools were allowed one camera for the recording, and while panning and zooming was allowed, there could not be any cutting or splicing of video clips.

At the beginning of the one act season rehearsals were held online, and they remained there for a few weeks before students were allowed to come into the auditorium and begin rehearsing in masks and with social distancing.

“A lot of our kids too are younger performers, so they don’t have that muscle memory and practice, so it’s really been interesting to see and hear kids try to speak out with a mask on or be expressive when half their face is covered,” said Elwood. “I honestly think they’ve done a pretty good job of overcoming the obstacles that have come with the pandemic.”

Olson agreed.

“We have so many new people with this cast. So to see how well they’re doing with the masks, taking them off when they’re allowed to and just adjusting so quickly, it’s amazing.”

Lawrence credited the actors and tech crew for adjusting well on the fly to the evolving regulations.

“(We were) digital for a few weeks and then in masks and spread out – not the way theatre is typically done,” he said.

Sections ahead
A total of six schools will compete in the section competition for the opportunity to go to state. Competitors have the option to re-record their performance before Thursday, Feb. 4, at which point the recordings must be submitted for judging. Results will be announced over the weekend.

Regardless of the outcome, Delano’s participants have been grateful for the opportunity to perform, even in such unusual circumstances.

“It’s definitely nice to have another chance,” said Olson.

“We’re just rolling with it,” said Elwood. “We’re taking what we’re given and doing what we can.”

Participants
Cast members include Hunter Elwood, Lila Ford, Logan Johnson, Isabelle King, Iain Lee, Noah Lind, Mari Olson, Maya Rodriguez, Gigi Slavec, Nadia Slavec and Jake Stoudt.

Emily Barron is the stage manager.