Have a Great Summer!

The school year is coming to a close! The shops are packing it up, and everyone's doing their last minute cleaning before we head off to our summer vacation destinations. Thank you again for an incredible 2017-2018 Theatre Season! We appreciate everyone's support and we can't wait for another

great season starting this fall. 

Sadly, I will not be returning this fall as I will be graduating, but I know Teddy Carlson Webster will be a fantastic blogger for you all!

Have a great summer everyone!

Adrianna Bail

CSS House Manager

"Journey's End" Comes to a Close...

Thank you to everyone who attended "Journey's End". The play was a huge success and we always appreciate the community's support. 

Looking forward to next year, we are excited to announce two of the plays we will be performing... Here's a sneak peek!

Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? The Musical

Coming November 2018

Directed by Merry Renn Vaughan & Sharon Obst

Plot: This musical centers on a boy's frustrated romance with an overweight girl as they survive Catholic school in 1950s Chicago.

The Fan

Coming February 2019

Directed by Tammy Ostrander

We can't wait for another fantastic theatrre season!

As always, it has been a pleasure blogging for you.

Adrianna Bail

CSS House Manager

Journey's End

Set in 1917, Journey's End tells of a group of British officers stationed in the trenches in World War I. Suspecting a German offensive is imminent, the officers are ordered to capture a German prisoner to acquire intelligence about the attack. The reconnaissance mission leads to some successes but also has disastrous consequences. Journey's End depicts the claustrophobia of the trenches, the unrelenting anxiety the men experience, and the physical, emotional, and spiritual toll the war exacts from them. This production commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI.

2nd Lt. Hibbert, Lance Corporal Broughton, Capt. Hardy, Colonel, Pvt. Mason, German Soldier, 2nd Lt. Raleigh, Lt. Osborne, Capt. Stanhope, 2nd Lt. Trotter, Sgt. Major

2nd Lt. Trotter, Pvt. Mason, Capt. Stanhope, and 2nd Lt. Hibbert

Capt. Stanhope & 2nd Lt. Raleigh

Capt. Stanhope & Lt. Osborne

Check Out Our Review in the Duluth News Tribune!

Theater Review: St. Scholastica presents powerful WWI drama 'Journey's End'

By Sheryl Jensen, for the News Tribune April 14, 2018

World War I brought new ways for men to maim and kill each other even more effectively with deadly flamethrowers, portable machine guns and mustard gas.

Robert Cedric Sherriff was a British officer who fought in WWI and survived. His experiences led him to write the play "Journey's End," first performed in 1928, starring 21-year-old Laurence Olivier in the leading role.

The College of St. Scholastica's production presents a realistic look at one of the underground "dugouts" that housed WWI officers. Unlike the mud trenches that the other soldiers had, with little protection from the elements, the dugouts had a wooden structure with a few creature comforts, including beds and tables.

Kevin Seime's set is really one of the stars of the show. Built and furnished to give a feeling of the claustrophobia of living in such small quarters, every detail is period appropriate. Costumer Sasha Howell rented WWI-style British officer uniforms from England, giving the show even more of an authentic vibe.

The play is set over four days leading up to a massive German attack and effectively shows the odd mix of the men's unbelievable tension and seemingly endless boredom. The personalities and interaction of a group of officers, under the leadership of Captain Stanhope (Rob Larson), make up the story.

Larson is indeed an actor's case study, with all the nuance, power and charisma needed to play the role of a leader utterly tormented by what he has seen and endured at the front, and who looks for escape in a whiskey bottle.

Another of the acting standouts is Theodore Carlson Webster as Raleigh, a young officer new to the unit who had been friends with Stanhope back home, and who had held the older Stanhope up as a role model and hero.

The inexperienced Raleigh is told he will be leading a group of men into battle shortly after his arrival. Webster plays the fresh-faced youth with a mix of enthusiasm and terror and is a sharp contrast to the war-weary Stanhope.

Comic relief comes from Conor J. Reindl, as the ever-confused and eager-to-please cook, and Adam M. Anderson as Trotter, the perpetually hungry officer who uses food as his relief mechanism.

Director Kelly K. Mullan effectively helps her actors to show character development in particularly the first half of the show, as we watch how each comes to terms with the effect of imminent combat and the near certainty of their deaths.

Authentic period music is played pre-show and at intermission. One of the songs that was played became a WWI anti-war anthem for mothers waiting back home. It includes the lyric:

"I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier

I brought him up to be my pride and joy.

Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder,

To shoot some other mother's darling boy?"

The play gives one pause to think about all those mothers whose sons and daughters still go off to war, some of whom will meet their ultimate journey's end.

"Journey's End" Starts This Week!

After months of preparation, the CSS Theatre is excited to present its final performance of the 2017-2018 school year.

The costumes are in (all the way from the UK!), the set is built, and the actors are ready to put on an

amazing performance! You do not want to miss this fantastic show. It is a great way to remember World War One, which happened 100 years ago this year.

Show dates and times are as follows:

April 13, 14, 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm 

and

April 15 & 22 @ 2pm.

As always, it is a pleasure to blog for you. :)

Adrianna Bail 

CSS House Manager 

Two Weeks Til Opening!!!

We are so stoked for this last show of the 2017-2018 season.

Our cast has been hard at work for over a month now, and we are almost ready to show you all the product of their hard work!

You DEFINITELY don’t want to miss this show, so be sure to get your tickets early.

To obtain your tickets, please call 218-723-7000 or visit spotlight.css.edu. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

Tickets are:

$15 for Adult General Admission

$5 for CSS Students

FREE for CSS Faculty, Staff, and Sisters

$10 for Seniors and Students.

Performance Dates & Times are as Follows:

April 13, 14, 19, 20, & 21 @ 7:30pm

and

April 15 & 22 @ 2pm.

Hope to see you there!

Adrianna Bail

CSS House Manager

Happy Easter from the CSS Theatre!

On behalf of all of us here at the CSS Theatre, we wish you a fun and safe Easter break.

When we return, we'll be two weeks from opening! We hope you're all getting excited!

Happy Easter!

Adrianna Bail

CSS House Manager