In an evening that swerved from hilarious to terrifying, Iola High School’s forensics showcase Monday evening was, if nothing else, emotionally riveting.
Over the course of two hours, 14 of the team’s 16 state qualifiers delivered powerhouse performances that at times were so tragic, so somber, and so compelling, the audience gathered in the Bowlus Fine Art Center’s Creitz Recital Hall was stunned into utter silence, only to then be left rollicking with laughter at a sketch’s absurdity.
Coach Regina Chriestenson is building something very special, and the students know it. One could tell by how seriously they watched their peers, how they tracked each gesture, lips mumbling along to lines they’d memorized by sheer inertia, how they offered up fist pumps and excited hugs at each performance’s conclusion. In an age when it’s way too cool to care this much about pretty much anything, Iola’s forensics team has built a culture of excellence.
Now in her 14th year as forensics coach, Chriestenson, who teaches communication studies, video production, theatre, and forensics, sees camaraderie as part of the process. “The support comes from understanding what it is like to be vulnerable and perform as an individual or duet in front of an audience,” she told the Register.
“There is no skill more important for their future than being able to stand up in front of a crowd and speak with confidence. Forensics allows students to use their voice in a way that few other school activities can replicate.”
Boy, does it show. Layla Newkirk’s hushed, twisted interpretation of “Dear Husband” by Joyce Carol Oates plumbed the depths of a psychotic mother’s mind. The audience squirmed with discomfort; Newkirk expertly drew out each line with practiced patience, refusing to let viewers off the hook.
Ben Heiman demanded, “Who’s going to teach these boys to cry while they’re still alive?” His performance of “A Trip to Nirvana” explored masculinity and mental health with earnestness and passion. It was a plea for help, a call for us to do something, to look out for each other, to prevent self-harm before it’s too late.
Mental health generally, and suicide particularly, were the evening’s themes, lines drawn throughout half a dozen performances. From Madelyn Ashworth’s “Through a Window” to Demarco Ross’s sparkling oral interpretation of two poems, the evening’s audience had an opportunity to witness young adults tackle issues so tough, most prefer to ignore them.
THEY DID so with grace well beyond their years.
“Sometimes all the oxygen in the room becomes water, I feel like I’m sticking to the bottom like i’m like I’m running out of air but I made a promise to myself that I won’t be another drowning fish,” performed Ross from the poem “Drowning Fish,” by Rudy Francisco.
“I heard that if you just take a deep breath and relax the human body will naturally float on top of the water so I breathe and I tell myself that it’s gonna be okay,” Ross performed. “Because I know there is a better version of me somewhere in the future, and he is staring at this moment right here and he is saying, ‘Thank you for not giving up on us.’”
It was a compact poem, tight with fear, anxiety, and in the end, an astounding love of life. There are so many reasons to keep going.
Everett Glaze delivered one of the evening’s most gripping moments in performing an adaptation of the film “My Life” by Bruce Joel Rubin. A terminally ill father records videos for his young son, passing on his knowledge. Glaze somehow managed to get all the small details of an advanced illness right – a racking cough, limp posture, as a man facing death knows he loves his son now more than ever.
PERHAPS the group’s versatility impresses most. Kaeden Vega shone in a riotous duet with Cole Moyer; 15 minutes later, he and Ross tackled a friend’s death by suicide in “Scooter Thomas Makes it to the Top of the World” by Peter Parnell. The same could be said for Max Andersen, whose impressive ability to morph from one character to another instantaneously delighted the audience, while at the same time putting their heads on a swivel.
At the end of the evening, it was easy to understand how the team has won the Pioneer League four years running. In fact, Iola racked up 19 state qualifiers through the season, but is allowed to take only 16 to state. Andersen is a two-time defending state champion in Oral Interpretation of Prose, Ross a state winner last year in poetry, Glaze and Moyer won state in Duet Acting. It’s hard to see any of them losing their crown, and so easy to see Iola bringing home many more honors. Iola took fourth as a team last season.
Awards were presented as well. Bella Rahming was named Rookie of the Year; Bethany Miller was Speaker of the Year, Demarco Ross was named Interpreter of the Year. Kaeden Vega was named Most Dedicated Underclassman, while Demarco Ross was awarded Most Dedicated Upperclassman. Everett Glaze was named Actor of the Year.
