Congratulations to the Kimball One-Act cast who earned Runner-Up honors at the 2023 South Sub-Section 5A competition in Paynesville Saturday, Jan. 28. This is the first time since 2015 that Kimball has stamped its ticket to the One-Act Play 5A Section Final.
Under the helm of fifth-year Director Kenzie Traurig, the Kimball One-Act cast performed “146 Point Flame” by Matt Thompson. This is a play about the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on March 25, 1911. One hundred and forty-six people lost their lives that day because of the awful working conditions of the factory.
“This young cast worked so hard,” said Traurig. “They really went above and beyond to understand the play. Mostly, they really seemed to love working together. They supported each other through the entire experience. Our only senior, Elizabeth Meyer, even stepped in in the last week and quickly memorized lines when we needed her to fill a role last-minute.”
Kimball’s 2023 One-Act is rostered by one senior, one junior, three sophomores, one freshman, four eighth-graders and three seventh-graders.
Elizabeth Meyer, 12th grade
Alex Ludlow, 11th grade
Maddy Groinus, 10th grade
Todd Sipe, 10th grade
Lakatia Zimmerman, 10th gr.
Ella Myers, 9th grade
Lindsey Gebhardt, 8th grade
Roslyn Stang, 8th grade
Kennedy Theis, 8th grade
Alexus Weyhrauch, 8th grade
Pyper Burg, 7th grade
Rhiannon Hilsgen, 7th grade
Aurora Voigt, 7th grade
When asked why she chose “146 Point Flame” as the performance for One-Act this season, Traurig commented, “I looked at the number of kids I had joining the team and limited my search to plays that met that need. This play was something that my students haven’t done before. They really had to work on timing, pacing, and understanding the poor work conditions of that time in our country’s history.”
Kimball One-Act won the Sub-Section back in 2001 under the leadership of Valerie Hansen. The Cubs then had three Section appearances in 2013, 2014 and 2015, including a Runner-Up finish at the 2015 Section Final under directory Jody Markgraf; this was Traurig’s senior year.
“Placing second last weekend at Sub-Sections was such a cool experience!” added Traurig. “These students worked so hard and love theatre. It was really rewarding to see their hard work pay off.”
Paynesville earned first place in the South Sub-Section while Kimball edged Annandale in third. Also participating were Eden Valley-Watkins and New London-Spicer.
The Section 5A One-Act Play competition is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4, at St. Cloud State University.