Submitted The Rugby High School One-Act Play team is advancing to the state competition later this month. BACK ROW (left to right): Brett Berginski, John Mueller, Thor Skjelver, Kyle Ebach. MIDDLE?ROW: Katelyn Boucher, Preston Tryba, Elizabeth Skjelver, Madalyn Pretzer, Maria Mack, Mackenzie Oppen, Coach Jill Roberts. FRONT?ROW: Zach Miller, Nolan Hovland, ReeAnn Christianson, Darby Deckert, Jacob Berginski

Shakespeare’s characters are coming to life on the RHS stage. Rugby’s one-act cast has been hard at work since September, and their hard work has paid off. On Thursday, Nov. 6, they competed in the Region IV one-act play competition and received first place. The whole cast also received a superior acting award, and director, Jill Roberts, was named region coach of the year. Because the cast was region champions, they move onto the state class B one-act competition in Jamestown on Nov. 24 and 25. Rugby competed against Starkweather, Lakota, Langdon, Maddock and Harvey/Wells County. Harvey took second place, and they are headed to state also.

Rugby’s play, “Shakespeare Unbound,” written by Claudia Haas, is about Aliesha, a disgruntled student played by Darby Deckert, who is trying to carry a huge book of Shakespeare’s plays, but it’s too heavy for her. To make the book lighter, she tears out some pages and throws them in a trash can. The characters on those pages materialize, crawl out of the trash can, and raise havoc around the school. It’s funny for the audience, but frightening for Aliesha.

Macbeth’s witches, Puck, Juliet, Prospero, and Katherine and Petruchio from “The Taming of the Shrew” materialize from the trash barrel where Aliesha threw the pages. These characters tear up the gym and frighten the students in a comedy of errors that will delight audiences of all ages, even those who are only vaguely aware of Shakespeare’s plays.

“The purpose of the play is to expose audiences to the timelessness of Shakespeare without preaching or intimidation of the language,” the author, Claudia Haas, said.

The cast consist of five seniors: Darby Deckert (Aleisha), Zach Miller (Pertuchio), ReeAnn Christianson (Katherine), Nolan Hovland (Josh) and Jacob Berginski (Prospero); six sophomores: John Mueller (a frightened student), Brett Berginksi (sound), McKenzie Oppen (Juliet), Thor Skjelver (Puck), Preston Tryba (a frightened student), and Kyle Ebach (lights); four freshmen: Maria Mack, Elizabeth Skelver, Kailtyn Boucher, (Macbeth’s witches), and Madalyn Pretzer (frightened student).

There will be a public performance on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7:00 P.M. in the RHS auditorium. Admission will be a free-will donation, which will include the bars and lemonade after the show. The show runs about 35 minutes.

– Submitted by Shannon Miller, RHS