Each winter, theatre students from across the state diligently rehearse a one-act play for the State One-Act Festival. Throughout the three-day event, schools perform back-to-back in 45-minute slots for an audience of students, directors, and a set of four judges. Performances range from flashy rock musicals to Shakespeare’s classics, to experimental and interpretive pieces. After each play, a critique is held, in which the judges from the audience provide feedback directly to the cast and crew of the show. At the end of the long weekend, an awards ceremony is held. Here, judges reward directors, individual actors, and technicians alike. This year the festival was held at South Dakota State University, and 40+ schools gathered to compete.
At 4:30 pm on February 7th, Jefferson Theatre took the stage to present Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. This 40-minute children’s musical follows Alexander, played by Edgerin Hutchinson, on the worst day of his life. He wakes up with gum in his hair and no toy in his cereal box. When he goes to school, his best friend leaves him for someone else, and at his dentist appointment with his brothers, he’s the only one with a cavity. After the performance, Jefferson’s cast and crew received a shining critique from four impressed judges. Jefferson’s students spent the rest of the weekend enjoying performances from other schools and exploring SDSU’s campus.
Jefferson’s performance received many outstanding reviews from audience members, and five awards were given during the ceremony held on the evening of February 8th. Outstanding Drama Performer, recognizing individual actors, was given to four members of the cast of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: Edgerin Hutchinson, Danika Christopherson, Riley Galer, and Corbin Hirsch. Additionally, the play received an Outstanding Ensemble award recognizing the various actors who performed multiple roles ranging from schoolchildren to pieces of furniture. In the awarded ensemble were actors Andrew Meyer, Kenzie Nielson, Veilia Christiansen, DaKajsa Nance, Jazlyn Brown, Emerson DeWitte, Aurora Klein, Quinlan Blount, Katarina Jefferis, Sarai Wetzel, and William Robinson. Jefferson found great success at the One-Act festival and is looking forward to next year’s, held in Rapid City!
