One Act Play

One Act Play 2023-24

Dark Road cast and crew received a state superior play award. Superior Individual medals were given to Kaelie, Chandler, and Alexis H. The Prisoners ensemble of Julia, Maggie, Ella, and Samantha received a superior ensemble award.

One act cast and crew for the show Dark Road

The link for the state one act pictures is https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdpb/albums/72177720305731978/page10 .

2020-2021

One Act Play “Pandemic” Advances to State and Brings Home Superior Ratings

Menno High School’s one act play “Pandemic” advanced to state competition after receiving second place at the Region 1-B contest held at Sioux Falls Lutheran on Wednesday, January 27th. The play was written by Kyle Kyriss, Kaelea McCoy, Laura Fischer, and Mrs. Betsy Knodel as a part of Play Productions class in the Spring of 2020.

Outstanding performance medals at regions were given to Kyle Kyriss, Carly Herrboldt, Brady Fergen, and Kaelea McCoy. “It was definitely unexpected but it’s great knowing that all of our hard work paid off,” replied Kaelea when thinking about receiving an outstanding performance medal. Four more students received one vote for outstanding performance: Salome Carr, Caden Fischer, Bridget Vaith, and Chandler Dant. While at state Kaelea M., Kyle K., Brady, Adrian, Carly, Caden, Salome, Alexis H., and Chandler Dant received superior individual acting awards.

Many of the cast enjoyed the experience as they reflected on the day. “I started to feel emotional thinking about not being able to comfort someone while dying," said Julia Buechler. "Since I have a part that talks about a person who couldn’t be with their relative during COVID when they died.” For newcomer, Chandler Dant, the day became philosophical. "When it comes to performing arts or anything in life, what you reap is what you sow along with your attitude that waters the seed.” The attitude of the cast and crew is positive as they prepare for the next performance at state.

While there were a few technical difficulties at region, the team pulled together and gave the best performance they could to an empty theater. “It wasn’t our best performance that night,” Hayden McNinch commented, “but we made it through and made it to state.” The same feelings were had at the state competition in Brookings where they played to an empty theater.

During the region and state critiques, the students were given feedback from the three judges. Students were also able to answer questions from the judges and explain the play and their characters. “It is my favorite part of the day,” said Betsy Knodel. “The judges get to explain what they liked or didn’t like and how they would change it. However, it is the interaction with the cast and crew that is most beneficial.”

Looking forward to state, Layne Schmidt said, “It was amazing. I was able to be a part of a cast that made it to state. ” Menno presented at the state festival in Brookings at the State University Theater on Saturday, February 6th at 11:45 A.M.

Menno One Act to Present “Pandemic”

at Home and Regions

This year's one-act play to be performed by the Menno drama department is "Pandemic.” The story, written by the 2020 Play Productions class of Kyle Kyriss, Kaelea McCoy, Laura Fischer, and Mrs. Knodel centers on news reports about COVID 19 from March and April of 2020 as threads of a story. Pandemic creates a tableau of the emotions, frustrations and fears of a public with more questions than answers. Throughout the play people representing a diverse public provide a brief insight into what is on their minds and how they react as the virus spreads.

The cast consists of seventeen high school students as well as three students who make up the stage crew. Cast members include: (seniors) Carly Herrboldt, Caden Fischer, Brady Fergen, Kyle Kyriss, Madelyn Heckenlaible, Adrian Nusz, Paige Dyk; (juniors) Salome Carr, Isabella Hogeland, Bridget Vaith, Kaelea McCoy; (sophomores) Julia Buechler, Josephine Stokes, Alex Fischer, Layne Schmidt, and Hayden McNinch; (freshmen) Maggie Miller, Kaelie Derby, and Alexis Hogeland. The play is under the direction of Mrs. Betsy Knodel and Martin Sieverding.

"It seemed like the right time to develop our own script,” stated Betsy Knodel, director. "Kyle had expressed interest in writing it. He was in Play Productions, so it seemed like it was meant to be.” Due to COVID, Class B schools could perform either a humorous or dramatic play this year. The students wanted to produce a drama. The play provides the audience a vehicle to think about how they view the events of the last ten months or so while looking toward the future.

The Menno drama department will perform for the home audience on Saturday, January 23rd at 7:00 P.M. in the school - city auditorium. Tickets will be sold at the door. They will then travel to Sioux Falls Lutheran High School on Wednesday, January 27th to perform at the Region I one-act play competition at the Dr. Vaughn and JoAnn Meyer Chapel & Performing Arts Center. No audience will be allowed, but live streaming of the event will be held. Once details are finalized, that information will be found on the Menno web site, Facebook, and our app. Schools from Bridgewater/Emery, Centerville, Irene-Wakonda, Montrose, and Lutheran HS of SF will also be competing for two places at the state festival to be held on the campus of SDSU in Brookings on February 4-6, 2021. More information on the state festival will be issued when the date gets closer.

Start thinking about being a part of the cast and crew of this year's production of Epidemic written by the 2020 Play Productions class. Email Mrs. Knodel to let her know of your plans.

2019-2020

Trio! A Three-Ring Circus of Storybook Tales

Takes Fourth at Regions and Dyk Receives an

Outstanding Performance Medal

This year's one-act play "Trio! A Three Ring Circus of Storybook Tales” was performed by the Menno drama department in Brandon at the Brandon Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, January 29th at 9 A.M. They were one of seven schools that participated in the Region 1 One-Act Play Contest. Those schools included Centerville, Dell Rapids St. Mary, Freeman Academy, Irene-Wakonda, Lutheran HS of SF, and Viborg-Hurley.

Menno took the stage and performed at 9 A.M. Following the play, the students, directors, and others went for the critique to hear what the judges had to say in response to the production. The judges for the day were Matt Nesmith, Associate Professor of Theater and Coordinator of the B.F.A. Musical Theater Program at the University of South Dakota; Julie Hart Schutte, an instructor of Human Services at Mitchell Technical Institute and a long-time participant in community theater; and Dennis Chandler, Professor Emeritus at the University of South Dakota where he served 36 years on the theater faculty. The judges commented on the show's strengths and weaknesses. They felt that the cast could have made it even bigger. They were impressed by the size of the crowd and the abilities of the actors and actresses to do their parts.

At the end of the day, awards were given out to the students and the teams. Paige Dyk (aka Goldilocks) received an outstanding performance medal. In first and second places were Sioux Falls Lutheran and Freeman Academy respectively. They will advance to state competition for Region One. The following schools placed in third - sixth place respectively - Irene/Wakonda, Menno, Viborg/Hurley, Dell Rapids St. Mary's, and Centerville. Although Menno did not advance to state, they did an outstanding job.

"It is always hard to be the first play of the day," Betsy Knodel stated. "I knew we'd have to impress those judges right away. The high energy in the show was evident, but it wasn't consistent. There is no one to blame for it. It just is the way it is." Although it is disappointing, the students did a great job according to the directors. For sophomore Kaelea McCoy (Pig One), "I thought it was our best performance. It was fun to bring all the stories that we grew up listening to as little children to life on the stage."

The day was a little bittersweet for some of the cast since it was their last time as a part of the troupe. However, for others, like Kyle Kyriss (Baby Bear) " I can't wait to see what we'll do next year!" he stated and continued with "It was nice to do something for the younger kids for a change." His castmate Caden Fischer added, "It was hard to get a lot of energy until Raygen played loud music on the bus and started shaking people awake to get them excited. After that, all the energy we had was all going to go into the play."

The Menno cast consisted of thirty-three high school students making up the cast and crew. Cast members include: (seniors)Hilaray Wade, Trinity Kocourek, Jordan Fischer, Aidan Friesen, Kiani Banta, Grant Handel, and Avery Handel (juniors) Carly Herrboldt, Caden Fischer, Brady Fergen, Kyle Kyriss, Madelyn Heckenlaible, Paige Dyk, Victoria Lehr, and Kaylie Schempp; (sophomores) Salome Carr, Isabella Hogeland, Bridget Vaith, Kaelea McCoy, Michal Tabke, Starr Kocourek, Annalise Klude, Paityn Huber, Grace Nusz, and Raygen Diede; (freshmen) Julia Buechler, Halle VanHove, Alana Fergen, Josephine Stokes, Sophia Hogan, Alex Fischer, Layne Schmidt, and Hayden McNinch. The play is under the direction of Mrs. Betsy Knodel, Mrs. Kay Smidt and technical director Martin Sieverding.

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Make sure you read the article in the paper about Mrs. Smidt and her departure from one-acts after this year.

One-Act Play to Perform at Home and Regions

This year's one-act play to be performed by the Menno drama department is "Trio! A Three Ring Circus of Storybook Tales” The story, written by Lucy Williams and presented with permission of Playscripts, Inc., of Denver, Colorado is centered on the three stories of the Three Bears, the Three Pigs, and the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

The play is told in scenes led by a trio of ringmasters (Caden Fischer, Aidan Friesen, and Carly Herrboldt) who guide the audience through a threesome of storybook tales assisted by three boisterous clowns (Grace Nusz, Paityn Huber, and Raygen Diede). Circus acts abound throughout the play with something for everyone in the audience of any age.

The cast consists of twenty-eight high school students as well as six students who make up the stage crew. Cast members include: (seniors)Hilaray Wade, Trinity Kocourek, Jordan Fischer, Aidan Friesen, Kiani Banta, Grant Handel, and Avery Handel (juniors) Carly Herrboldt, Caden Fischer, Brady Fergen, Kyle Kyriss, Madelyn Heckenlaible, Adrian Nusz, Paige Dyk, Victoria Lehr, and Kaylie Schempp; (sophomores) Salome Carr, Isabella Hogeland, Bridget Vaith, Kaelea McCoy, Michal Tabke, Starr Kocourek, Annalise Klude, Paityn Huber, Grace Nusz, and Raygen Diede; (freshmen) Julia Buechler, Halle VanHove, Alana Fergen, Josephine Stokes, Sophia Hogan, Alex Fischer, Layne Schmidt, and Hayden McNinch. The play is under the direction of Mrs. Betsy Knodel, Mrs. Kay Smidt and technical director Martin Sieverding.

"It has been a lot of fun putting together this production," stated Betsy Knodel, director. "Watching these kids perform is always fun, but some of the kids who have been in play all four years are especially fun to watch as they develop their humorous characters." For the clowns (Raygen, Grace, and Paityn) the play is a fun play that involves fairytales from their childhood and allows them to lose all their inhibitions on stage and just have fun. Class B schools must perform a humorous play this year. The play provides various opportunities for kids and parents alike to laugh and enjoy a night of humor.

The Menno drama department will perform for the home audience on Friday, January 17 at 7:00 P.M. in the school - city auditorium. They will then travel to Brandon on Wednesday, January 29th to perform at the Region I one-act play competition at the Brandon Valley Performing Arts Center. Schools from Centerville, Dell Rapids St. Mary, Freeman Academy, Irene-Wakonda, Lutheran HS of SF, Marion, and Viborg-Hurley will also be competing for two places at the state festival to be held at O’Gorman High School on February 6-8 in Sioux Falls. The Region I-B schools are slotted to appear at the state festival on Friday, February 7th at 11:00 A.M. or Saturday, February 8th at 3:15 P.M.

One-Act Play this year will be...

Trio!

by Lucy Williams

One-Act Play Cast Announced

The one-act play cast for 2019-2020 production of Trio!A Three-Ring Circus of Storybook Tales by Lucy Williams under the permission of the Pioneer Drama Service, Inc. has been announced. A cast led by three ring leaders - Beetle, Bartle, and Bo - will narrate the fairy tale menagerie of The Three Bears, The Three Pigs, and the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

This is a family-friendly production full of circus performances, storytelling, and thrilling feats that will be a favorite outing for the entire family. You'll be sure to be entertained by clowns, fairy tale characters, and other circus acts throughout the production.

Plan now to attend the home performance on Saturday, January 18th at 7:00 P.M. in the Menno City/School Auditorium.

2018-2019

Menno One Act Takes Home a Superior Play

Individual Honors	Ensemble Name: Various Voices

Menno Drama Department Advances to State with I Don't Want To Talk About It

The Menno Drama Department will compete in the South Dakota One Act Play Festival on Thursday, January 31, 2019 in the Johnson Fine Arts Center on the NSU campus in Aberdeen at 9:00 A.M. under the permission of Playscripts, Inc. of New York. The play has a cast of thirty-four and a crew of four and is directed by Mrs. Betsy Knodel and Mrs. Kay Smidt, as well.

The cast and crew travelled to Mitchell on Thursday, January 24th to perform at the Region IV-B one act play competition at the Pepsi-Cola Theater. Schools from Avon, Armour, Corsica-Stickney, Ethan, Freeman Academy, Menno, and Tripp/Delmont competed. Menno took first place and Freeman Academy took second and will represent Region IV-B at the state festival. Logan Klaudt, Anadia Gibson, Kyle Kyriss, and Kaelea McCoy received outstanding performance medals. "I am so proud of these kids," commented Mrs. Betsy Knodel. "We had seven plays in our region and we were the second to perform. Since there is a lot of talent in the region, the pressure was on to do our best. Our students should feel a deep sense of pride for this accomplishment."

I Don't Want To Talk About It The play is told in scenes that take place in various locations as teens question who they are and what their purpose is. A central character throughout the play is Kyle played by Logan Klaudt. "Logan is a seasoned actor who is in his third leading role since beginning one acts as a freshman," states Mrs. Knodel. "He has a passion for his part and exudes confidence on the stage." Although the play is serious in nature, it contains both periods of tragedy and humor. The play will hopefully be a springboard for exposing teenage issues that teens and parents need to talk about. "I wasn't surprised we made it to state again said Devin Rich, a senior who plays the roles of Baby and Maya in the play. Echoing that sentiment was Kia Ahalt a senior portraying the role of Rachel who stated, "I'm very proud of what our cast has accomplished this year, and I'm looking forward to getting another state superior rating like we did last year." The cast also has nine freshman girls who have begun their time in one acts. Bella Hogeland, who portrays one of the various voices, said, "It's an amazing experience, and I feel like I've learned a lot from it so far."

The cast consists of thirty-four high school students as well as four students who make up the stage crew. Cast members include: (seniors)Logan Klaudt, Anadia Gibson, Kiara Nusz, Eisley Sayler, Tess Oplinger, Jaedyn Oplinger, Devin Rich, Kia Ahalt, Sam Bender, Kyle Munkvold, Hunter Haberman, and Abby Fischer (juniors): Hilaray Wade, Aidan Friesen, Dawson Ulmer, Trinity Kocourek, Jordan Fischer, Avery Handel, and Grant Handel (sophomores) Caden Fischer, Paige Dyk, Kyle Kyriss, Brady Fergen, Madelyn Heckenlaible, Carly Herrboldt, Victoria Lehr, Kaylie Schempp, Adrian Nusz, and Hannah Fischer (freshmen) Grace Nusz, Paityn Huber, Anna Kludt, Starr Kocourek, Bella Hogeland, Raygen Diede, Bridget Vaith, Salome Carr, and Kaelea McCoy ( denotes past state outstanding performance medalists) Stage crew consists of Avery Handel and Grant Handel who manage the lights and sound with the help of Mr. Martin Sieverding as well as Abby Fischer and Hannah Fischer who manage the costumes and props. The play is under the direction of Mrs. Betsy Knodel and assisted by Mrs. Kay Smidt.

Class B schools have to perform a dramatic play this year. "I'm really proud of the kids and their performance," said director Betsy Knodel. "We have a few things to fix before going to state, but the kids can do it. There is so much talent at Menno High School; I am awed by the students' dedication and willingness to do what we ask of them."

The South Dakota One Act State Festival will be held January 31 – February 2, 2019 on the campus of Northern State University in the Johnson Fine Arts Center. The festival begins at 9:00 A.M. on Thursday with shows running every 45 minutes until 9:45 that evening. Friday's plays begin at 8:00 A.M. with the last show concluding at 9:45. The festival will come to a close on Saturday with performances running from 8:00 A.M. until 4:15 P.M. and awards being presented following the last play. There is no admission for the festival and everyone is encouraged to come and support the kids in Aberdeen.

One Act Play to Perform at Home and Regions

By: Mrs. Knodel

This year's one act play to be performed by the Menno drama department is “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” by Bradley Hayward and produced under rights secured from Playscripts Inc. of New York, New York. The play is a conglomeration of monologues and vignettes that centers on teenagers and the topics that nobody wants to talk about. The play focuses on the challenges that teens face daily including parents, rumors, bullying, suicide, and relationships.

The play is told in scenes that take place in various locations as teens question who they are and what their purpose is. A central character throughout the play is Kyle played by Logan Klaudt. Although the play is serious in nature, it contains both periods of tragedy and humor. The play will hopefully be a springboard for exposing teenage issues that teens and parents need to talk about. “I have really enjoyed doing this year’s play because it highlights real problems that teens my age go through daily,” states Jaedyn Oplinger, senior portraying the role of Samantha who experiences the death of a parent. “I like that it has a purpose and I hope the audience feels a strong effect from it.”

The cast consists of thirty-four high school students as well as four students who make up the stage crew. Cast members include: (seniors)Logan Klaudt, Anadia Gibson, Kiara Nusz, Tess Oplinger, Jaedyn Oplinger, Devin Rich, Kia Ahalt, Sam Bender, Kyle Munkvold, Hunter Haberman, and Abby Fischer (juniors): Hilaray Wade, Aidan Friesen, Dawson Ulmer, Trinity Kocourek, Jordan Fischer, Avery Handel, and Grant Handel (sophomores) Caden Fischer, Paige Dyk, Kyle Kyriss, Brady Fergen, Carly Herrboldt, Victoria Lehr, Kaylie Schempp, Adrian Nusz, and Hannah Fischer (freshmen) Grace Nusz, Paityn Huber, Anna Kludt, Starr Kocourek, Bella Hogeland, Raygen Diede, Bridget Vaith, Salome Carr, and Kaelea McCoy (* denotes past state outstanding performance medalists) Stage crew consists of Avery Handel and Grant Handel who manage the lights and sound with the help of Mr. Martin Sieverding as well as Abby Fischer and Hannah Fischer who manage the costumes and props. The play is under the direction of Mrs. Betsy Knodel and assisted by Mrs. Kay Smidt.

"It has been fun putting together this production," stated Betsy Knodel, director. "Watching these kids perform is always fun, but some of the kids who have been in play all four years are especially fun to watch as they develop their characters and talk about topics that are important to teens." For the students performing the play, it is an important part of their education and life. Senior Kiara Nusz said, “Doing one act has been fun and a great experience throughout my high school career.” Jordan Fischer, a junior in play for the second year agreed when she stated, “One act play makes me more confident in being in front of a group of people, and it’s fun to see the different roles I get to play each year.”

Class B schools have to perform a serious play this year. The use of sound and lighting, run by Avery and Grant Handel, bring out the drama and the transitions from scene to scene and make it easy to follow. The play provides various opportunities for kids and parents alike to contemplate the issues, laugh at the humor, and enjoy a night exploring the topics of life as a teen.

The Menno drama department will perform for the home audience on Saturday, January 19 at 7:00 P.M. in the school - city auditorium. They will then travel to Mitchell on Tuesday, January 22nd to perform at the Region III one act play competition at the Pepsi-Cola Theater. Schools from Armour, Corsica-Stickney, Ethan, Freeman Academy, Menno, and Tripp/Delmont will compete for a chance to appear at the one act state festival in Aberdeen on January 31-February 2, 2019 at the Johnson Fine Arts Center on the NSU campus. The Region III-B schools are slotted to appear at the state festival on Thursday, January 31st at 9:00 A.M. or on at 11:00 A.M. or Saturday, February 2nd at 11:00 A.M.

2017-2018

One Act Play will be "I Don't Want To Talk About It" by Bradley Hayward and produced under permission from Playscripts, Inc., New York, New York.