One-Act is a production put on every year by the Appleton North Theater Department, directed by Ronald Parker and Leah Dreyer. This year, the cast consists of twenty-one members, plus crew, or the technical team. The most notable thing about this year’s competition is that it marks North’s twenty-sixth year of participation, following their twenty-fifth win at the state level last year. This is a unique event for our theater department, as it is a competition, rather than just a performance. During the competition, the cast and crew have forty minutes to construct a set, portray a comprehensible story, and take the set down. There is no wiggle room for time over forty minutes, so it gets fairly intense!

The production this year will be William Shakespeare’s King Lear, a story of a king who slowly grows mad. Lear has three daughters, and wishes them to express their love to him. When Cordelia, the youngest of the three, is unable to express her love, she is cast out by her father. This sparks the first known sign of madness by Lear, as it is a rash action to expel his favorite daughter. The tale consists of thrilling themes, spooky depictions, lighting, and sound, and a story of a man who realizes his stubbornness may be his downfall.

In the words of Mr. Parker, “King Lear is Shakespeare’s darkest, most complex creation.” North’s One-Act team is working hard to capture the essence of this masterpiece, and you can see their efforts during competition days! The first district competition is on October 16th, at UW-Green Bay. The following competitions are still to-be-determined, but look out for notifications and come out to support our theater department!