Riva Sharples | Writer
Online relationships. Lies. Loneliness. Danger. Desperation. These are some of the issues explored in this year’s one-act play being presented by Irene-Wakonda High School. The production, entitled “Web of Deception” stars just two students on stage – freshman Duncan Sharples-Schmidt and sophomore Alyssa Kirschenman – in the dramatic play.
A public performance of the play will take place Monday, January 22, at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend the show to support these actors, who will also perform the production at the region one-act play competition on January 24 at the University of Sioux Falls.
“Web of Deception” is about sixteen-year-old Claire, who learns the hard way that people on the internet aren’t always who they seem to be in this thriller about a naïve teen and an online predator.
Explains I-W one-act play coach Stephanie Ganschow: “Claire makes a friend online, and without telling her parents, agrees to meet Jake in person. She’s surprised to discover he’s much older than he said, yet he seems kind and charming, so she agrees to go to his house to see his dog. Once there, it’s not long before she realizes he’s not who she thinks he is. As Claire starts to put the pieces together — too many locks for just one door, a boarded-up window, no dog in sight — Jake takes control and panic sets in.”
Due to its mature themes, the play may not be appropriate for young children.
The students decided to take on the challenge of this play because it deals with real-life topics that teenagers face today, said Sharples-Schmidt.
When just two students signed up to participate in the one-act play this year, coach Ganschow knew they would need an engaging production that could be carried by two people. Sharples-Schmidt and Kirschenman, who have acted in numerous other productions, read several other possibilities before deciding on “Web of Deception.”
Supporting Sharples-Schmidt and Kirschenman in the production is freshman Izabelah Brumbaugh, who plays an off-stage policeman. Lights, sound, and the set for “Web of Deception” are being handled by I-W seniors Kaden Kleinschmit and Elsey Thompson.
Don’t miss the public performance of “Web of Deception” on Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Irene school.
