News editor
Marion High School will present a melodrama by Vern Harden, “She Was Only Marginally Modest,” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the USD 408 Performing Arts Center.
As a melodrama, the play clearly delineates who are the heroes and villains, while encouraging the audience to get involved by cheering the heroes and booing the villains.
The play, set in frontier-era Colorado, features a cast of 17. Director Janet Killough said she wrote in a couple of parts to get everyone that wanted to be in the play a role. There are many experienced actors in the cast, Killough said.
As is a frequent occurrence with school plays, the biggest struggle has been finding times when the whole cast can rehearse, Killough said. Practically everyone in the cast is involved in multiple activities simultaneously, as well as many having part-time jobs.
The cast includes Annie Whitaker (Marge), Jay Dee Schafers (Ma Belle), Andrew Kjellin (Brad Apple), Kadecha Gueary (Gladiola), Jennifer Fruechting (Hattie), Caroline Collett (Granny), Jenevieve Corona (Prunehilda), Nick Meyer (Judge), Justin Rahe (Stoutfellow), Abbey Smith (Wilimena), Isaac Baldwin (Turkey O’Trot), Ryan Nelson (M.B.), Dylan Goebel (Reuben), Jacob Baldwin (Frog), Andrew Nordquist (Franchesca LeBlanc), and Angel Funk and Amanda Stuchlik (Poster Girls).
There are also quite a few people involved behind the scenes to make everything come together. Killough noted the contributions of Jane King with costumes, Mary Griffith with makeup, the MHS stagecraft class with set construction, Jennifer Janzen with publicity and the program, and Sandy Loveless with painting the set.
Tickets will be available at the door and cost $3 for adults and $2 for children 12 or younger.