WADENA — For the third year in a row, performers and viewers alike gathered in the Wadena Memorial Auditorium for the Madhatters One Act Play Showcase (MOAPS) on Saturday, Feb. 11. Though the show was postponed from its original date in December 2022, that didn't stop crowds from showing up for an entertaining evening.
"We had like, over twice as many audience members; there's 41 kids in the show," said Michelle Curtis, a performer with Madhatters. "This was by far the biggest (MOAPS), so it's amazing. We're so, so happy."
In a night packed with both humorous and dramatic one-act shows, four different groups competed to win their own MOAPIE awards — earned through audience votes — for Best Show, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actress and the special Producer's Award for production design.
Curtis herself performed in one of these shows alongside her Wild Hare Players costar, Doug Curtis, in a two-person comedy set at a pet store entitled "The Parrot Sketch" by Monty Python Flying Circus. The New York Mills Intro To Acting Class showed off their knack for humor in "No Show" by Alan Haehnel, a comedy following an acting class as they wing a performance they didn't prepare for.
The Mills Players performed "A Game" by Dennis E. Noble, donning multi-colored face paint as they acted out the drama-comedy of three people trapped in a science experiment. The last show was "Beast of Baskerville" by Tim Kelly, portrayed by Browerville High School One Act Play. The cast brandished their acting skills in this historical drama-comedy about the mystery of a curse haunting the characters' manor.
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Performers earned cheers and applause when they returned to stage for their bows, the audience murmuring about just how impressive and hilarious each performance was. Set and production design for each play also awed the audience, with functioning lights, furniture and even a working door.
"It's great to be able to stage something like this — and at a historical auditorium, that's been around for nearly 100 years where they've performed Shakespeare and classical concerts," said Madhatters member and MOAPS host Dan Touchette. "We're very grateful that we have participation and especially the travelers because we know it's expensive to get everybody in the car to come over to Wadena. Usually people like to stay in their town. We're very happy to have Browerville and New York Mills represented. They're very artistic communities, and I was very impressed by their shows."
At the end of the night, audience members turned in their votes. Individual winners each received their own trophies. The Best Show winner earned $500 and the runner-up received $200.
Each winner walked up to gather their prizes as they were announced, earning more applause from audience members:
- Best Show: "Beast of Baskerville" performed by Browerville High School One Act Play
- Best Show Runner-Up: "No Show" performed by New York Mills Intro to Acting Class
- Producer's Award: "Beast of Baskerville" production design by Browerville High School One Act Play
- Outstanding Actor: Elliot Kangas as Carter in "A Game"
- Outstanding Actress: Mackenzie Uhlenkamp as Kathy Stapleton in "Beast of Baskerville"
- Outstanding Supporting Actor: Alexander Stormoen as Mr. Barrymore in "Beast of Baskerville"
- Outstanding Supporting Actress: Adrianna Eckel as Cordelia in "Beast of Baskerville"
Though MOAPS won't return until fall 2023, Madhatters Community Theatre has a few other upcoming events for interested community members. The musical, "Chicago" will be performed at the Wadena Memorial Theatre March 23-25 at 7 p.m. and March 26 at 2 p.m. The Madhatters drama camp showcase performance will be at 2 p.m. on Aug. 4.
The evening of performances and a large audience is exactly what MOAPS was supposed to be when they first dreamed it up, Curtis shared. "People from all over — and everybody looked like they were having a great time."
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