One-Act Play team wins sub-section title

Front row, left to right: Elena Myhre, Winifred Swedzinski, Noah Harms, Grace Landrus, Faith Myhre, Kylie Callens, Addison Buysse, Amadeus Molina. Back row, left to right: Director Morgan Benson, Sam Skorczewski, Joe Voit, Dawson Dovre, Samantha Landrus, Asst. Director Sariah Cheadle.

Minneota hasn't had a One-Act Play team for many years, but you wouldn't have known it by the way they performed on Saturday.
Competing in the Sub-section 11 tournament at the Memorial Auditorium in Dawson, the resurrected program directed by Morgan Benson placed first among six teams and advances to the Section 3A tournament Saturday, February 3, at Redwood Valley High School's Estebo Performing Arts Center in Redwood Falls.
The seven-team section meet begins at 10:30 a.m. with a 15-minute intermission between each team's performance. Minneota's performance will begin at 3:45 p.m. Benson recommends arriving 30 minutes prior to their performance. The top-judged team advances to the state meet.
"It feels so good to start the program back up with this big win," said Benson. "The students had a spectacular performance on Saturday. They performed with a ton of energy and spunk. No words can fully describe how proud I am."
Minneota performed "Heart's Desire" for its 30-minute performance. Those acting on stage included: Dawson Dovre, Noah Harms, Grace Landrus, Elena Myhre, Faith Myhre, Sam Skorczewski, Winifred Swedzinski and Joe Voit. Addison Buysse, Kylie Callens, Samantha Landrus and Amadeus Molina worked behind the scenes in lighting, sound, hair, makeup and props.
To keep the judging fair, each school is required to remain anonymous on competition day. Judges only know the title of the play, but not the name of the school performing it.
"It was fun to watch the other schools perform at the competition," Benson said. "I specifically love to see what shows they have chosen and how they've created a set that is portable and able to be set up within the strict 10-minute time limit."
Schools are required to construct their own portable set. Morgan's father, Rodney, helped make Minneota's set. The top two teams advance to the Section 3A tournament. Other schools competing in the sub-section meet were Central Minnesota Christian School, Dawson-Boyd, Lakeview, MACCRAY and Montevideo.
"It was so great to see Minneota community members at the competition," Benson said. "We heard many laughs during the performance. I could tell it really encouraged our actors."
Judging is based not only on the actor's performances, but also on how the audience reacts to scenes with laughter or other emotions, or how they applaud at the conclusion.
Sariah Cheadle was Minneota's assistant director.
"She was a ton of help at the competition," said Benson. "We both did not expect the massive adrenaline rush that we experienced throughout the day."
Benson knew she had a special group the minute she took the position of director for this One-Act Play team.
"I knew right away they had the talent and desire to do well," she said. "I also admire how much they take care of each other as a team. They are always checking in, encouraging, and believing in each other. They're just incredible humans to be around."