OHS One Act Play takes second place at District contest

The Olney High School’s production of its 2023 One Act Play – The Revolutionist – placed second at the District contest on March 1 in Archer City, and will advance to the Bi-District competition, OHS Principal Brianne Brock said. The Bi-District competition will be in Graham on March 21, she said.

Actors Brooke Orsak and Adelade Edgington were named to the All-Star Cast and Mallory Jeske received an Honorable Mention, All-Star Cast, Mrs. Brock said. Ellie Hinson won Best Stage Manager, she said.

With a full-dress rehearsal performed for the community of Olney under their belt, the troupe and crew of the OAP have worked out the majority of the kinks and were prepared to begin the District competition.

The play by Lauren Gunderson opens in 1793, the era of the French Revolution. It follows the travails of playwright and ac- tivist, Olympe de Gouges (Adelade Edgington), who is trying to write a play about the heroic women of France. The real de Gouges was executed by guillotine that year for seditious behavior and attempting to reinstate the French monarchy, “evidence” of which was found in an incomplete play she was writing about Marie Antoinette. To aid her efforts, de Gouges is visited by three such heroes: Marianne Angelle (Allie Barrington), Charlotte Corday (Mallory Jeske), and Marie-Antoinette (Brooke Orsak). The real Corday, a political activist, also met the guillotine in 1793 for stabbing Reign of Terror leader Jean-Paul Marat in his bath. Marianne Angelle is a composite of free black women revolutionaries in Haiti (called Saint Domingue at the time).

The actresses put on a masterful performance that had the audience enthralled at times and laughing at other times. The costume of Marie- Antoinette really wowed the audience with its ostentatious beauty. The acting of Mallory Jeske had the crowd laughing at times with her zealous knife play and character portrayal. All the actresses and crew did an amazing job and all should be very proud of their hard work.

Directors Cassie Johnson, Lila McCutcheon, and Kasey Keeter did a great job getting these student actors and crew ready for this year’s OAP competition with only a few weeks to prep before the first dress rehearsal with a crowd. “The purpose of the play is just to bring theatrical events to high school so that students can learn about theater and theater history,” Mrs. Johnson said. “They do a lot of work. They have researched a lot about all of their characters. The crew learns lights, sound and so much more. We appreciate the community for their support and we hope that they get to watch us perform.”