Tea Area students prepare for comedic One Act Play

Tea Area High School’s theater program is gearing up for this year’s One Act Play, featuring the lighthearted comedy “The Staggering Heartbreak of Jasmine Merriwether” by Don Zolidis. This comedic production marks a shift from the dramas performed in recent years, providing students with a fresh challenge.

“This year’s play is a comedy titled ‘The Staggering Heartbreak of Jasmine Merriwether.’ Tea Area has performed a drama the past two years for One Act. This year, we decided to take on a light-hearted comedy to give students a new challenge and learning experience compared to doing another drama,” explained director Brooke Palleschi. “This particular script was chosen due to its light-hearted comedic nature, while also discussing the topic of heartbreak which is something all of us have experienced at some point in life.”

The cast and crew for this production include:

Directors: Brooke Palleschi and Cameron Axtmann

Cast:

• Jasmine: Avianna Steen

• Brendan: Riley Clark

• Jasmine’s Mom: Myranda Schnasa

• Jasmine’s Dad: Brody Miller

• Drake: Dawson Lowery

• Miss Snead: Ella Cambier

• Mr. Hoag: Isaac Bullis

• Scientist: Jaxon Johanneson

• Interpretive Dancers: Aubriana Parker, Anna Klinkert, Elnara Abbasova, Jaxon Johanneson

Crew:

• Light Crew: James Hitzemann & Kimberlee Brockberg

• Sound Crew: Skylynn Broesder

• Backstage Crew: Will Roberts

Rehearsals have been in full swing since December, with cast members dedicating their holiday break to memorizing lines and developing their characters.

 “In January, our rehearsals increased to five days a week to prepare for our community performance on Sunday, February 2nd, followed by the State One Act Play Festival in Brookings on February 6-8th,” Palleschi noted.

One unique aspect of this production is the incorporation of interpretive dance, an area new to the directing team. 

“There are several challenges with this particular show for the cast and even for us directors. This play incorporates interpretive dancers, which is an area that Cameron and I are not overly familiar with. Thankfully, we have been able to utilize the resources of local dancer Shannon Dancler to provide the choreography for this play,” said Palleschi. “Additionally, with a comedic play, it’s important to stress the comedic timing, pace, and delivery of the jokes so that it is conveyed correctly to the audience. That leads to working with the student actors on staying in character when those funny moments occur, and teaching them how to react and adjust to the audience.”

Tea Area High School will perform at the State One Act Play Festival on Thursday, February 6th, at 7:45 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center in Brookings. This year, Tea Area automatically qualifies for the festival due to moving to the AA class. The Festival is free to attend. 

Before heading to state, the cast and crew will hold a public performance on Sunday, February 2nd, at 2:00 p.m. in the Frontier Elementary School gym. 

“The cast and crew have been working hard on this production, and we want to extend an invite to the Tea Area community, friends, and families,” Palleschi concluded.