/usr/web/www.marshallindependent.com/wp-content/themes/coreV2/single.php
×

Showing off their acting skills

RTR?drama club presents a night of one-acts to the community

Photo by Jody Isaackson Members of the RTR drama club performed “Not By Chance,” along with other one-act shows this weekend. Pictured are Ashley Borchert, Stephanie Kuhlman, Josh Reese, Max Schardin, Katy Broin and Grace Ekema.

TYLER — The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High School drama club played to a full house on Saturday night as it presented its 2017 One-Act Plays, which included the show that made it to state competition.

The drama club took the show “Not By Chance” to state competition a couple of weeks ago.” “Not By Chance” is an original production that cast members put together themselves.

The plot is about a teenager named Emily, played by sophomore Emily Kern, who is often pictured on a wooden bridge on the brink of jumping into the river below to commit suicide. Scenes from her life, good and bad, flash before her, and the audience, along with “wind demons” that represent her emotions.

The silent tale, set to music instead of scripted with conversation, shares the troubles the lead character had fighting with her kid sister, her parents divorce over her father’s drinking, her grandmother’s death and her betrayal by her boyfriend seemingly with both her sister and best friend.

The one song, with words including “hope,” comes at the end when the one that was truly innocent talks her off the railing.

Since the play was original, Kern was given the opportunity to choose her character’s name.

“My nickname, that was on my shirt, was ‘Maggie,'” she said. “They asked me if I wanted to use “My nickname, that was on my shirt, was ‘Maggie,’” she said. “They asked me if I wanted to use that, but I said I don’t want to ruin my nickname. So we used Emily.”

Kern also said that playing the part of a suicidal teenager was tough because it wasn’t in her nature. She had to think of all the sad things she ever encountered and do it for a long time, throughout most of the play.

She and the others agreed that the cast came up with the plot together. Kern said some of the school scenes were her idea.

“They helped advance the plot,” she said.

Costumes for all the plays were made up by the actors to reflect the time period. Katie Petersen had her mile-high, off-center ponytail ratted by director’s assistant Joan Wiering. Like hairstyles from that era, it took a lot of hairspray to keep it up.

The costume that took more creativity, Petersen said, was the wind demon she played in the play.

“We found old black robes in the costume box and cut holes in them and used tulle to fill in,” Petersen said. “We also put gray makeup on our faces to help us blend in with the scenery.”

For Emily’s costume, it was simply jeans, a sweatshirt and a locket, but they had to match that of Emily’s younger self, played by Ashley Borchert, Kern said. A matching sweatshirt was found and all was set.

Max Schardin said his Grandpa costume for the play was also found in the school’s costume box.

“I scrounged around the prop room for elderly clothes,” he said. “At least, they looked elderly in my opinion.”

Besides their state piece, the RTR drama club members performed other one-act shows “That’s Not How I Remember It” and “Don’t Touch That Dial.” “That’s Not How I Remember It” is a comedy by Don Zolidis. It revolves around the conflicting memories of a mom and dad as they share them as bedtime stories with the child they are tucking in for the night. Mom, played by Andrea Escher, portrayed her husband as a wimpy nerd who was a handy escape from the unwanted affections of the foreign exchange student living in her house. Her younger self, Lola, was played by Katy Broin.

Dad played by Josh Reese, on the other hand, saw himself as the karate master who saved Lola from a gang of thugs, not once but twice. His younger self, Barry, was played by Alex Duus.

“Don’t Touch That Dial!” was written by Samara Siskind. It was produced by special arrangement with Brooklyn Publishers, LLC.

The play found Sally, played by Ashley Borchert, and her brother, Charlie, played by Max Schardin, fighting over the remote. The remote fell onto the floor and was damaged. They bought another from a shady dude named Butch, played by Zach Reese.

When Sally and Charlie activated the new remote, it sent them into TV land where they encountered sets of various television shows like “The Twilight Zone,” “The X-files,” “The Bachelor,” “The Voice,” soap operas, game shows and the news.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today