EXPERIMENTAL WOODY ALLEN PLAY IS PULASKI'S 1-ACT ENTRY THIS YEAR

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 27, 1993                   TAG: 9301270016
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                LENGTH: Medium
EXPERIMENTAL WOODY ALLEN PLAY IS PULASKI'S 1-ACT ENTRY THIS YEAR
Some nervousness is natural when high school students step onto a stage to perform in a play, but actors at Pulaski County High School will be under even more pressure in their one-act play next month.
The play, a comedy by Woody Allen about a deity, will be the entry by the Pulaski County High School Players in the annual district, regional and state Virginia High School League competition.
"And we're scared because we're going into it as regional champions three years in a row," said Tracy Skeens, an assistant director as well as an actor in it. The players ranked third in statewide competition.
They already have been invited to perform their one-act in the State Thespian Competition in March.
On top of all that, Pulaski County High is hosting the district competition this year. One-act plays from district schools will be performed here in front of judges Feb. 6, starting at 10 a.m.
People will get a chance to see Pulaski County's entry, titled "God," in advance. It will be performed Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. in the school's Little Theatre. Admission is $1.
The school's theater program has no trouble filling the auditorium for its full-scale productions, such as the musical "Godspell" early in December. "Godspell" drew almost as many accolades from the public and resolutions from public bodies as did the Pulaski Cougars football team, which won the state championship this year.
But drama teacher Rhonda Welsh, who is directing the one-act, said smaller plays sometimes have more trouble drawing a crowd. And it is important that the performers, especially for a comedy, get a feel for audience reaction at their Feb. 5 performance before taking it before the judges the next day.
The Pulaski County performers usually lean toward heavy drama in one-act play competitions. In fact, Welsh admitted, audiences usually expect "weird" from these entries. This is one of the few times the players will go for laughs.
The play, described as a zany and somewhat experimental comedy, is about a group of New York actors trying to produce a Greek tragedy involving Zeus and other Greek gods - carrying misnomers such as Diabetes, Trichinosis, Bursitis and Hepatitis.
"It breaks every rule in theater," Welsh said, to the extent of having characters from other totally unrelated plays - such as Blanche DuBois from "A Streetcar Named Desire" - wander into the action.
The play was chosen before its author began having domestic legal troubles. The Players looked at many other comedies in a quest to find a substitute but, in the end, decided this was still their favorite.
Timing is important during rehearsals, because the entries have a 35-minute limit, as well as a limit of 10 minutes for putting up and tearing down the set. "If it runs a split second over 35 minutes, you're disqualified," Welsh said. "Our plays usually run 33 minutes and 30 seconds, exactly."
Skeens and Aaron Parks, both advanced theater students, are assistant directors as well as performers. Other leading roles are filled by Courtney Crockett, Joe Warden, April Corvin and Jonathan Breedlove.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB