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Luverne High School advanced to the one act play section competition Saturday, its first appearance in 23 years.
Luverne competed at home Jan. 28 against five other schools, finishing second in the sub-section 3A competition.
Murray County Central of Slayton was crowned champions.
Both Luverne and MCC will compete Saturday in Redwood Valley for a chance to represent Section 3A in the MSHSL one act competition Feb. 9-10 in St. Paul.
Placing in the top two came as a surprise to the Luverne team.
“The other performances throughout the day were strong as well,” said Joseph Stearns, who began as director in 2019. “We haven’t made it beyond our first round of sub-sections in my time as director, so to a certain degree, the idea was not on my radar.”
Luverne performed “Ruby,” by University of Sioux Falls alum Greta Smith.
Smith condensed her two act play about an eighth-grader using colors to express her feelings, especially about her parents’ divorce, to a one act play that can be performed under 35 minutes.
“I am proud of the kids and the effort they put in, regardless of our placing,” Stearns said. “I am glad we were able to put on a good show that was received well by the audience and judges.
Judges Matthew Cook, Lori Grote and Paul Jones judged the subsection competition in Luverne. It was the first year the competition was conducted in the middle-high school performing arts center.
“Overall, the judges’ feedback for our performance was positive,” Stearns said. “Especially in contrast to previous years.”
With a week between sub-section and section competitions, Stearns said changes will be minimal for Luverne.
“We plan to work on volume levels, polishing some of the weaker points of the show,” he said. “We hope to revamp our backdrop a bit to allow more of our lighting effects to be impactful.”
Cast members include Brianna Kinsinger, Alex Perkins, Steven Woods, Hallie Bork, Abby Boltjes, Isabella Benson, Rebecca Hoogland, Hunter Cope, Makayla Oechsle, Parker Carbonneau, Zander Carbonneau, Halle Pergrande and Travis Schempp.
Other schools competing at the Jan. 28 sub-sections were Adrian, Edgerton, Pipestone Area and Russell-Tyler-Ruthton.
Luverne last advanced to section competition in 2000, when they performed “The Crucible” for the sub-section 3A championship.