Benson named director of One-Act Play team

Auditions began on Wednesday for Minneota High School's One-Act Play entitled "Heart's Desire" that will be directed by Morgan Benson.
Minneota will continue to host its fall play each year, but have now replaced its spring play with the Minneota State High School League-sponsored One-Act Play.
"This play that I chose is a comedy with some drama," said Benson, an actor and model who graduated from Tracy Area High School in 2015. "I'm really excited about this play because it's a competitive piece."
The competitiveness is what drew Benson to inquire about the directing job.
"I know Minneota is highly competitive in sports and other things," she said. "I'm a competitive person and that's why I decided to take on the director job here."
Benson has a lot of theatrical experience. She has been performing since she was 10 years old in the Laura Ingalls Wilder pageant in Walnut Grove. She has an undergrad Theatre major from Southwest Minnesota State University and her Master of Fine Arts from Minnesota State, Mankato. Benson currently travels around the country acting and/or modeling. One-Act Play has a strict set of rules that can get a team easily disqualified. Teams are only allowed 20 individuals per team.
"I'm going through all the rules now and there are a lot," Benson said on Monday. "A team can get disqualified for things such as bringing a bottle of water on stage, or if a parent or someone else is seen filming a performance."
Around 20 Minneota students attended a meeting recently and expressed a desire to audition for 'Heart's Desire". Around 10 actors/actresses are needed for the team, while others will assist with lighting, sound, set designing, costuming, makeup and more.
Sub-sections will be held on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Dawson. Sections are Saturday, Feb. 3 in Redwood Falls, and the state competition will be Feb. 8-9 in the Twin Cities.
"Judges also critique on how well the play is received by the audience, such as if they clap or laugh or even cry," Benson noted. "So, the more support we get to watch our performance, the better."