Breaking Good at “The Break of Noon”: East Ridge Competes in Statewide One Act Competition

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Written by Bridget Olson, Writer

On Friday, January 20th, East Ridge held the South Washington County District One Act Festival. This night consisted of three plays, one each from East Ridge, Park, and Woodbury High Schools.

Our play, The Break of Noon, is about a man named John (played by junior Austin Robinson) who is in his mid-40’s, and is the only survivor of a recent office shooting. John is so grateful for being given the gift of survival that he develops a closer connection with God. He attempts to right wrongs in his life, like past relationships. “He is already in his mid-forties, and no one will really forgive him and let him become a better person,” explains Ms. Carlson. Each scene shows John with a different person, trying to mend the relationship.

This play dealt with a very dark and serious conflict.  “I wanted to do something different, because we had a colorful play last year, and I think it’s a good contrast,” Ms. Carlson says. However, there were, of course, some challenges that came with this play. “There’s a video segment in the play, and we had some technical difficulties with that. Also, a drama is supposed to be realistic, so we wanted to make the scene and actors real,” explains Ms. Carlson. The consultant had good feedback for the cast and crew, which led them to place 2nd in the competition this past Tuesday, earning them a place in the next round.

Each play is no more than 35 minutes long. The festival was not only to provide entertainment, but also to gain feedback from a Debate-One Act-Speech consultant. This feedback was taken into consideration for the One Act Competition, which took place on January 25th. The competition includes all three high schools from our district, along with others, to compete for the chance to advance to the next round. “The one act competition is very competitive–we have to follow lots of rules,” says Ms. Carlson, director of the play. “There are rules for how many people can be involved in the play, certain props we can use, and a time limit. We have 10 minutes to set up and take down. We can’t use props like fake blood, because it would take too much time to clean up.”