To the Editor: Thank you for the article by Jenny Kirk and photos of Murray Count Central’s One Act Play performance of Orphan Trains in the February 13 edition of this newspaper. I was fortunate to see the public performance on the MCC Auditorium stage on February 3.
In many years working in theater, I had not seen this play and looked forward to seeing it in Slayton. I found strong performances by the entire cast as they portrayed the orphans and their stories, the members of the Children’s Aid Society of New York who accompanied the children on their journeys to the Midwest, and the families who met the trains and looking to add a child to their households. Many of these people simply wanted to provide a home for an orphan, others wanted workers for their farms and businesses. The fortunate children became part of a family household; the unfortunate ended up in challenging and sometimes dire situations. The cast moved seamlessly between the roles picking up accents and showcasing the personalities of their characters.
State One Act Plays rules limit the length of the performance to 35 minutes. The actors skillfully told the story of orphaned and homeless children living on the streets of New York City – so many that the orphanages could not meet the demand to house them. From the 1850s to 1229, nearly 200,000 children were sent west and placed with families. The cast gave is a look into their lives as we watched the kids board trains and travel to middle America filled with uncertainty of what would happen when the train stopped at a station. Would they be selected or continue on to the next stop? Would they become a valued family member or be one of the unlucky kids who were put to work.
The simple set was perfect for this play, the pieces were functional and added to the storytelling. Accolades to the crew for their seamless work behind the scenes. Thank you to Director Isaac Harms for his work to bring this play to life. Congratulations to everyone on your great work.
It is rewarding to see a strong theater program in addition to the success of MCC’s music programs, speech and other academic teams, girls and boys sports, and educational achievements in all grades.
Congratulations! Connie Humphrey Shaver Apple Valley, Minnesota
