By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
You have to go back in time to when George W. Bush was serving his first term as president, and the Olympics were last held in the United States for a Burlington High School one-act play not to have qualified for the state competition.
This year’s cast and crew hope 13 will be a lucky number for them, though, as the theater program will take “Marvin’s Room” to sectionals at Waukesha Catholic Memorial High School today.
The group is set to perform at about 6:05 p.m. If the group receives “yes” votes from two of the three judges, it will advance to the state competition for the 13th consecutive year.
This year’s play tells the story of two sisters – one, Bessie, who cares for her elderly aunt, Ruth, and bed-ridden father, Marvin. Lee is her sister and a woman with an edge of selfishness whose eldest son recently burnt down the family’s home in Ohio.
Bessie is diagnosed with leukemia, and her only hope to survive is a bone-marrow transplant. Lee and her sons make the trip to Florida to see if they can possibly help. The two sisters piece together their estranged lives, and try to move forward.
The play by Scott McPherson is known for its dark humor. Director Carrie Fidler said the play is a genre the one-act competition hasn’t tackled in a while, having gone with musical comedy last year and deep tragedy the year before.
“It’s a drama with light moments as well,” Fidler said. “It also allows for some interesting choices in terms of staging and works well as a traveling show that way.
“It’s working so well for these kids because of the effort they are putting into it,” she added. “They take direction extremely well. Tell this group something once, and it’s done.”
Fidler also praised her assistants: director Robert Thompson, costumes by Tammy Albrecht, and technical direction by Colin Galitz, who is assisted by Penny Yanke.
The cast is a mix of newcomers and veterans, with Caitlin Fallon and Karley Nadolski playing the two sisters, and Moses Crist playing Lee’s eldest son Hank.
Claire Turke plays Aunt Ruth, while Bryar Stenzel plays the younger son, Charlie. Marvin, the bed-ridden father, is played by Andrew Kawalec, while Gabe King plays Dr. Wally. Abby Korb is Dr. Charlotte, and Jessica Smith is the retirement home director.
Caretakers are Grace Boyle, Makenzie Ferguson, Sawyer Guilding, Graeme Langley, Jacey Pope and Thomas Steinbach.
Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, the students will have at least one more performance – a public performance Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. in the Burlington High School auditorium.
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