By Kim McDarison
Five actors — members of the Fort Atkinson High School Theater Club — will bring a light-hearted look at history, and the people who lived it, to audiences in Fort Atkinson this weekend.
Students — Jonas Boshart, Kylie Frey, Alayna Riddell, Oisin Riedlinger and Willow Severin — perform in “A Simpler Time,” a compilation of nine short comedies set in other eras.
During a dress rehearsal held Wednesday, each of the five actors gave multiple characters place and personality, delivered with laugh-out-loud comedic charm.
Journeying through A Simpler Time, one finds themselves in Medieval England, Salem, Mass., in 1692, and Philadelphia, in 1787, among other places, where, at each stop, the human condition is explored. Each 10-minute segment offers a glimpse into the trials and tribulations of the time, cumulating in a final segment titled “Kids Today!”
According to the play’s script, provided and licensed by Playscripts, Inc., nine playwrights were challenged to find the funny and the familiar in each era the full performance explores.
“When you find yourself fighting with your friends on the night before the Constitution is due, listening in at a telephone switchboard in the 1940s, trying to avoid the more gruesome aspects of medieval times or exploring a mysterious possible future, only one thing is certain: there’s humor in human nature,” the synopsis states.
The Fort Atkinson High School performance of A Simpler Time is directed by Cathy Daly, who is a librarian at Purdy Elementary School and has been involved with directing school plays for 22 years.
Daly said she chose the play because it’s funny, and it offered flexibility in casting.
“It’s contemporary — the writing is contemporary — but it takes place over a long period of time; it’s kind of like time traveling,” Daly said of the play.
While she described herself as more of a theater buff than a history buff, she said: “I thought the history would offer opportunities for the students to explore different time periods.”
Within the play, with each scene change comes a new set of characters, all of whom are played by the five cast members.
Said Daly in describing the difficulty level, “I thought this play was an appropriate challenge for this group, and they seized the challenge and really ran with it.”
Daly described several members of the cast as “young.” The group includes freshmen students. “That makes me delighted,” Daly added.
For audiences, she said, she hopes they can identify with the characters as they travel across time.
“We have a lot in common with people no matter the time and place. These are some universal feelings, and themes, and struggles. They were present then and they are present now. There is a lot more that binds us together than divides us as humans and as a people, I think.”
For the students, she said: “I hope they take away a great sense of collaborative pride; working together on something bigger than themselves and each of them has a contribution that’s important.”
With so many smaller plays delivered in one performance, she said, having a skilled and dedicated crew makes all the difference.
Among crew, she said, there are six members working on stage and four involved in technical operations, like sound and lighting.
“Everybody is important and they really know what they are doing,” Daly said.
Daly described the play as “visually abstract,” adding: “It depends on the actors’ characterizations heavily.
“I wanted this to be more about the acting than the design. It’s more acting than scenic.”
For the cast, Daly said, rehearsals began in February. Students have been working with the script for about nine weeks.
The crew was added about two weeks ago. All of the participants are members of the theater club, Daly said, but, she noted, the play was used as an opportunity for club outreach.
Auditions were open to everyone, she said.
Daly’s experience with educational productions is expansive. She has directed plays in Lake Mills and Fort Atkinson schools, including performances offered through both districts’ summer school programs. In Lake Mills, she has directed middle school plays.
In Fort Atkinson, a list of high school plays directed by Daly includes: ”Almost, Maine” and “Check Please.” She directed an adaptation of “Peter Pan” in 2018, called “Peter/Wendy,” and in 2019, she directed “Radium Girls.”
Looking at A Simpler Time and its nine vignettes, Daly said: “The plays are like my children, I love them all,” but, she admitted, she has a fondness for “Founding Fathers.”
“It’s about the Constitution on the night before it’s due. The students seem to identify with working on a deadline and with group work, which was one of the conflicts,” Daly said.
Dear to her heart are the students that will be bringing this play to life, she said, adding: “This is a very funny group of students. They worked extraordinarily hard and they are a joy to work with. They are dedicated and bright, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Comedies within A Simpler Time are written by Jonathan Dorf, Tyler Dwiggings, Claire Epstien, Kathryn Funkhouser, Patric Greene, Mora V. Harris, Carrie McCrossen, Ian McWethy and Don Zolidis.
A Simpler Time will be performed Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $5 each for students and senior citizens, and $8 each for adults.
For more information, email: boxoffice@fortschools.org.
“Dr. Cornwallis,” played by Jonas Boshart, at left, talks with a father, played by Oisin Riedlinger, about his daughter. The vignette, one of nine in the play: “A Simpler Time,” is set in Medieval England.
Fort Atkinson High School student Jonas Boshart portrays “Dr. Cornwallis.”
Fort Atkinson High School student Oisin Riedlinger portrays “Joseph Cribb,” a teenage Puritan paperboy wannabe. The character is included in “Safe Salem,” one of nine vignettes.
“Winifred,” a wife of medieval times, is portrayed by Fort Atkinson High School student Willow Severin.
“Alex,” played by Jonas Boshart, is among characters writing the Constitution on the night before it’s due.
Fort Atkinson High School Student Kylie Frey portrays an advisor in 1789 to a then-soon-to-be president named “George.”
“Lady Washington,” played by Willow Severin, shares her impressions of a new presidency with her husband.
In 1821, activities take place on a “glorious country estate.” Actors Oisin Riedlinger, from left, Willow Severin and Alayna Riddell bring the scene to life.
Fort Atkinson High School student Alayna Riddell strikes a portrait pose.
A member of the technical crew.
Director Cathy Daly oversees a dress rehearsal Wednesday.
The cast of “A Simpler Time” includes: Willow Severin, front row, from left, Kylie Frey and Alayna Riddell, and Oisin Riedlinger, back row, from left, and Jonas Boshart.
Members of the crew include: Carson Heussner, back row, from left, and Trevor Myren-Celkis; middle row, Calvin Ficenec, from left, Peyton Bishop and Mackenzie Cramlet; front row, Joshua Reynolds, Courtney Majeres, Alex Garrett-Grandt and Katelynn Davis. Crew member Jack Jonas is not pictured.
Kim McDarison photos.
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