MLHS thespians ‘Livin’ de Life’ – and the livin’ goes way beyond this one-act

Sub-Section 9A One-Act Play Festival is this Saturday at Springfield

THE CAST OF "Livin de' Life!" Front, from left, Sis Buzzard (Kalley Rempel), Brer Fox (Josh Grev), Brer Bear (Sam Grev), Doc Crow (Regan Syverson) and Light Crew (Jareya Harder). Back, from left, Trees (Julien Jung and Rebekah Klassen), Miss Goose (Olivia Hopwood), Aunt Mammy-Bammy (Lydia Hildebrandt), Brer Rabbit (Ben Grev), Brer Coon (Caleb Rempel), Brer Tarrypin (Zach Fredericksen), Miss Meadow Mouse (Carmen Syverson) and Tree (Austin Wallert). Julie Brugman is the director.
THE CAST OF “Livin de’ Life!” Front, from left, Sis Buzzard (Kalley Rempel), Brer Fox (Josh Grev), Brer Bear (Sam Grev), Doc Crow (Regan Syverson) and Light Crew (Jareya Harder). Back, from left, Trees (Julian Jung and Rebekah Klassen), Miss Goose (Olivia Hopwood), Aunt Mammy-Bammy (Lydia Hildebrandt), Brer Rabbit (Ben Grev), Brer Coon (Caleb Rempel), Brer Tarrypin (Zach Fredericksen), Miss Meadow Mouse (Carmen Syverson) and Tree (Austin Wallert). Julie Brugman is the director, with Crystal Fast, assistant director.

The thespians at Mountain Lake Public High School are “Livin’ de Life” (with the livin’ going way beyond this one-act play) – and will be sharing that experience during the Sub-Section 9-A One-Act Play Festival to be held Saturday, February 1, at Springfield Public High School. Admission for the day-long festival is $6 for adults and $4 for non-participating students. The Mountain Lake play – “Livin’ de Life!” – will be the second of six productions.

The six plays to be presented will follow this line-up:

10:30 a.m. – “Check Please” (Wabasso Public High School)

11:15 a.m. – “Livin’ de Life!” (Mountain Lake Public High School)

12:05 p.m. – “Making Nice” (Springfield Public High School)

12:55 p.m. – “The Secret Life of Girls” (Sleepy Eye Public High School)

1:40 p.m. – “Lovers, Lunatics, and Poet” (Jackson County Central Public High School)

2:25 p.m. – “Aesop’s (Oh So Slightly) Updated Fables” (Butterfield-Odin Public High School)

The final performance should end at approximately 3:30 p.m. and the slate of plays will presented without a scheduled lunch break. The judges for the festival will be Sally Burdick of Mankato, Kris Besel of Worthington and Shari Nelson of Bigelow.

“Livin’ de Life” is the Mountain Lake presentation, and is directed by Julie Brugman, assisted by Crystal Fast. The play is a fair tale based on the tales and characters recorded in Joel Chandler Harris’ “The Uncle Remus Tales,” and was adapted and written by Ed Graczyk.  In the story, Brer Rabbit, plum tuckered out from caperin’ and prankin’ with Brer Fox and Brer Bear, has lost his zest for such escapades. His friends from the Briar Patch diagnose his trouble as a bad case of de Mopes, and persuade him to consult Aunt Mammy Bammy for a cure. To gather the ingredients for Aunt Mammy Bammy’s curin’ potion, Brer Rabbit has to resort to his old tricks, and thus recovers his joy in prankin’ – which is just what Aunt Mammy Bammy intended. “Live de life ya got. De only worryin’ ya should have is how to make tomorrow better dan today.”

Cast

Brer Tarrypin – Zach Fredericksen

Brer Coon – Caleb Rempel

Brer Rabbit – Ben Grev

Brer Fox – Josh Grev

Brer Bear – Sam Grev

Miss Meadows (Mouse) – Carmen Syverson

Aunt Mammy-Bammy – Lydia Hildebrandt

Sis Buzzard – Kalley Rempel

Miss Goose – Olivia Hopwood

Doc Crow – Regan Syverson

Trees – Austin Wallert, Rebekah Klassen and Julian Jung

Crew

Lights – Jareya Harder

The cast and crew will hold a 2 p.m. afternoon performance for elementary school students this Friday, January 31, in the public school auditorium. The general public is also welcome to attend this presentation. A date for an evening public performance is currently being ironed out on the school calendar and that information will be released as soon as scheduled.

Following are some photos from this past Saturday’s rehearsal:

 

THE HARMONICA-PLAYING Brer Tarrypin (Zach Fredericksen) opens the play.
THE HARMONICA-PLAYING Brer Tarrypin (Zach Fredericksen) welcomes the audience to the Briar Patch.

 

play 1
BRER COON (Caleb Rempel) queries Brer Rabbit (Ben Grev) on why he is feeling so blue.
play 11
MISS MEADOWS, THE mouse in the Briar Patch (Carmen Syverson) is happy that she has Brer Rabbit’s (Ben Grev’s) undivided attention.
THE SLAPSTICK COMEDY duo of Brer Bear (Sam Grev) and Brer Fox (Josh Grev) keep failing to "outfox" Brer Rabbit. Watching them at back is Brer Tarrypin (Zach Fredericksen).
THE SLAPSTICK COMEDY duo of Brer Bear (Sam Grev), left and Brer Fox (Josh Grev), right, keep failing to “outfox” Brer Rabbit due to their own silliness. Watching them from back is Brer Tarrypin (Zach Fredericksen).

 

BRER FOX (JOSH Grev) "dresses up" the Tar Pit to make it look like a real live peson, hoping Brer Rabbit get mad at it when it doesn't answer him and end up stuck in the tar.
BRER FOX (JOSH Grev) “dresses up” the Tar Pit to make it look like a real live person, hoping Brer Rabbit will get mad at it – and when it does not answer him – will give it a punch and end up stuck in the sticky tar. Then Brer Fox and Brer Bear can have lunch!

 

BRER RABBIT (BEN Grev) grabs a handful of feathers from the head of Sis Buzzard (Kalley Rempel) - needed by Aunt Mammy-Bammy to make a potion to help Brer Rabbit cure "de Mopes."
BRER RABBIT (BEN Grev), back, grabs a handful of feathers from the head of Sis Buzzard (Kalley Rempel), front – feathers needed by Aunt Mammy-Bammy to make a potion to help cure Brer Rabbit of “de Mopes.”

 

BRER RABBIT (BEN Grev), left, sits down for a chat with Miss Goose (Olivia Hopwood), right, not realizing the "moving laundry" he is perched on is really Brer Fox (Josh Grev), hidden under a big brown sack.
BRER RABBIT (BEN Grev), left, sits down for a chat with Miss Goose (Olivia Hopwood), right – not realizing the “moving laundry” on which he is perched is really Brer Fox (Josh Grev), center, hidden under a big brown sack.

 

BRER FOX (JOSH Grev), although hidden under a brown sack, reacts to the conversation going on around him.
BRER FOX (JOSH Grev), although hidden under a brown sack, reacts to the conversation going on around him.

 

BRER RABBIT (BEN Grev), center, tied up by Brer Bear (Sam Grev), left and Brer Fox (Josh Grev), right, convinces the pair to let him show them where he "gets his funnies" - stalling in order to escape their plans of eating him,
BRER RABBIT (BEN Grev), center, tied up by Brer Bear (Sam Grev), left and Brer Fox (Josh Grev), right, convinces the pair to let him show them where he “gets his funnies” – stalling in order to escape their plans of eating him.

 

AUNT MAMMY-BAMMY (Lydia Hildebrandt), right, suffering from a toothache, realizes she needs to help her "ownself" from her potion book - but still has time to listen to the woes of Brer Rabbit (Ben Grev), right.
AUNT MAMMY-BAMMY (Lydia Hildebrandt), right, suffering from a toothache, realizes she needs to help her “ownself” from her potion book – but still has time to listen to the woes of Brer Rabbit (Ben Grev), right.

 

AUNT MAMMY-BAMMY (Lydia Hildebrandt), left, confronts Doc Crow (Regan Syverson), right  - calling him a quack.
AUNT MAMMY-BAMMY (Lydia Hildebrandt), left, confronts Doc Crow (Regan Syverson), right – calling him a quack.

 

IN THE END, Aunt Mammy-Bammy tells all the critters in the Briar Patch that "the worries" are ADDDD. And that Brer Fox (Josh Grev), left and Brer Bear (Sam Grev) right, frozen in a cartoon running animation, are just "livin' de' life" as they keep chasing after Brer Rabbit day-after-day.
IN THE END, Aunt Mammy-Bammy tells all the critters in the Briar Patch that “the worries” are silly and they should just, “Live de life ya got. De only worryin’ ya should have is how to make tomorrow better than today.” And – that Brer Fox (Josh Grev), left and Brer Bear (Sam Grev) right – frozen  in cartoon running – are just “livin’ de’ life” as they keep chasing after Brer Rabbit – day-after-ever-livin’-day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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