Wausa students showcase their skills with comedy One Act this year

WAUSA - Students from Wausa and Osmond schools are showing a different side of themselves with the production of this year’s one-act play.

“We’re well-known for bringing great dark, sad plays to the stage but this year is going to show people that we can do both dark, sad plays and comedic plays,” said Wausa Senior Tyler Baue.

The students are producing “To Death We Shall Return . . . Sooner or Later,” written by Wausa’s own one-act coach Sheila Hoesing. The play revolves around three brothers who operate a family-owned mortuary and struggle to balance their not-so-normal career and interests with the everyday world around them, she said.

Senior Brandon Kristensen plays Mr. Svenson - a character who argues with his wife a lot, he said.

Baue channels his inner Jim Carrey for the play, he said.

“I am the whiny, over dramatic, over-the-top mortician who always finds a way to make a situation about me,” he said. “And if I can’t do that, I whine about it.”

Baue and Kristensen are both seniors and in their sixth year participating in the one-act. Both spent two years on crew and four acting.

There’s only been one other year in which the play has been a comedy, Baue said.

“This one feels different in the best way,” he said. “We have been working hard to make sure our jokes hit the correct timing, that our physicality is sharp to match the humor and so much more.”

Baue calls the one-act cast of 60 and crew of 11 his second family. This is the fourth year that Wausa and Osmond have co-oped for the one-act play production.

“One-act is a very successful program in our school and I like seeing everyone else feel the success inside the program,” Kristensen said. “I can see this starting to leak into other student programs as well.”

Sheila and Brad Hoesing coach the one-act and are assisted by Tanya McFarland and Wendy Ketelsen.

Brad’s mother, Jilll, directed one-acts for many years and both of the Hoesings were members of their own one-act and speech teams in high school.

“We gained so many skills that we use to this day,” Sheila Hoesing said.

Students have been working hard, readying themselves for the annual Pop, Popcorn and a Play public performance at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13.

“This year we hope audiences appreciate the humor and slapstick comedy, and are able to forget everyday worries for at least 30 minutes, and enjoy some good laughter,” Hoesing said.

The team will perform two days later at noon, Monday, Nov. 15, at the Swedish one-act festival in Wausa. Conference competition will take place at Wynot and districts will take place at Wausa the week of Thanksgiving break.

Kristensen said competition will be much tougher this year as a C1 school but the crew and cast are “more than capable” of taking it on.

“Our students always put their best into what they do, and have many accolades to show for it,” Sheila Hoesing said, with the most impressive feat being 15 straight district championships. “We can only hope that our students perform to their best abilities and are able to represent our communities with pride.”

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