Friends of the theatre once again gathered in Wadena’s Memorial Auditorium for the second annual Madhatters One Act Play Showcase on Oct. 24.
The four performances featured “A Reluctant Tragic Hero,” “The Night Before Gettysburg,” “A Famed Life” and “Tour of a Memory.” The performances followed a man overwhelmed by married life while on summer vacation; Abraham Lincoln reflecting on the Civil War and slavery as he finishes the Gettysburg Address; a woman finishing her last day of work for a demanding movie star; and a woman reminiscing on memories of her childhood home.
The One Act Showcase is open to anyone, whether the plays are original or selected. Both “The Night Before Gettysburg” and “Tour of a Memory” were original plays this year, with groups from Wadena, Staples, Perham and Fergus Falls.
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“Every single year we reach more and more people in our community and in surrounding communities. People really come out to support their one acts and it’s just a great family to be able to work with, whether we just met them or whether we’ve been friends for years,” said Bronwynn Touchette of Madhatters Community Theatre and co-producer of the competition. “It’s just so good to be able to perform again.”
Touchette and co-producer Michelle Curtis performed “A Famed Life” as the fourth entry in the competition. Curtis played Ms. Jacobs, a demanding movie star, who tried to convince her maid Yvette, played by Touchette, to stay instead of moving to Boston.
“I do it because it’s huge fun and for the camaraderie that happens when you’re in rehearsals, when you’re getting to know your part and the creativity that comes from you studying your part or you directing the show, it’s really incredible and it gets intense, it gets really intense and there’s always a point where you say this never going to happen, we’re never going to get this done, this is going to be a mess. But it never is. People always come together,” Touchette said.
With support for the arts, about 50 community members voted for their favorite plays, actors and actresses with the groups from Perham and Fergus Falls sweeping the wins. Chuck Johnson of Perham won best lead actor, best original script and first place for outstanding play with a $500 award with “The Night Before Gettysburg.” The Funtasticks of Fergus Falls, including Laura Johnson, Samantha Bottko and Rick Schiara, placed second for outstanding play with a $200 award along with Johnson as best lead actress, Bottko as best supporting actress and best production for “Tour of a Memory.”
“People have pride in what they’re doing. It’s creative and it’s artistic and things like that are so important in life and I’m just happy that we can do that,” Touchette said. “We’d love to have more people come and audition for our shows so that they can experience it too. It’s wonderful.”
The Madhatters also started a Golden Ticket program, which will go towards making Camp Madhatter free for all kids. Touchette said the camp is impactful for all the kids involved and hopes more kids will be able to experience this creative outlet. The tickets include a $20 or $50 donation that gets you into all Madhatter shows and donations to Camp Madhatter, the Mim Maas scholarship fund and general fund. You can purchase tickets from any board member or at future Madhatter events. The program is also a way to thank the community and continue bringing quality theatre, as Touchette said.
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If you’re interested in being involved in Madhatters, you can contact Michelle Curtis at 218-640-3268 or Bronwynn Touchette at 218-820-8740. The next show is “Into the Woods” in spring 2022 with auditions on Jan. 7-9 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium.
