One more chance for one acts

Special to the Item

Don’t miss your last chance to experience a “Fabulous Festival Night of One Acts!” Picayune Memorial High School’s High Tide Productions and Pearl River Central High School’s Blue Maskers will present their award winning one-act plays, Talking Bird and The Winner, one final time, on Friday, January 8th at 7:00 p.m. in the Picayune School District Auditorium.

Both of the plays were selected to advance to the Mississippi Theatre Association State Festival, to be held on January 14 through17 in Tupelo. The high school division will feature the state’s top nine theatre troupes. Performing along with Picayune and Pearl River Central will be: Corinth, Oak Grove, Oxford, Starkville, Lafayette, Ocean Springs and Hattiesburg.

Talking Bird, an original by director and teacher William Rester, tells the story of a young man named Henry, and his sister Lara. Henry is deaf, and must overcome a fear of public speaking, exacerbated by the taunts and bullying he experiences. He copes with his fears by reading, and through a series of circumstances, is transported to his favorite fantasy world. There he must learn what it truly means to be strong. Henry is played by Jason Piglia, who received the award for “Best Actor” at Regional Dramafest on December 5th.

The Winner, by B. Dwayne Craft, is an expressionistic feast for the senses. This one-act, featuring a cast that received the “Best Ensemble Acting” award at Regional Dramafest, depicts the many pressures of achievement placed on a character known only as “The Competitor.” Everyone insists that he win “The Prize,” from his family to his beloved to his optometrist. The Winner begs us to ponder that ”winning can mean everything, or nothing at all.”

Cost for the event will be $8 for adults, and $5 for seniors, students, and children. Funds raised will be used to help defer travel expenses to Tupelo. Again, don’t your final chance to see an award winning night of theatre.