MACT

MACT*Fest ’25 performance session 4 will start at 7:30 pm on Saturday night. It will feature 2 shows: “Trapp’s Last Crepe“, presented by Ole Olson Onstage and “Finishing School“, presented by FungusAmongus Players.

Ole Olson Onstage
Trapp’s Last Crepe

by Jon Skaalen

Originally a modernization of Samuel Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape,” this story changed its gender after January 20 and is now a meditation in which the characters in Grant Wood’s “American Gothic,” we’ll call them Ole and Lena, come to life.

This is the 15th original script performed by Ole Olson Onstage since 2006 on a variety of topics and often featuring several performers with disabilities. But this year, given directives from on high, we are abandoning all thoughts of diversity, equity and inclusion and are focusing simply on who we really are — white Scandinavian Americans who eat meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and, for a real treat, a McDonald’s quarter pounder.

FungusAmongus Players
Finishing School

by Elaine Liner

This comedy about life’s second act finds older gents Al and Wizzer meeting on a park bench every morning to read and mock newspaper obits. Their daily rituals—shooting the bull about sports, women loved and lost and the many annoyances of aging—are suddenly shaken up by the appearance of a friendly young woman and her flirty mom. Wizzer pep-talks lonely widower Al to convince him to break out of his self-imposed “quantum of solace” and maybe find love again, while also dealing with his own fear of ending up in the memory care unit at their assisted living facility. Punctuated with true-to-life moments familiar to anyone with an aging parent or spouse, the play takes an upbeat attitude toward life after 60, 70 and beyond.

A national award-winning community theatre group, The FungusAmongus Players of Dassel-Cokato provides access to a broad range of high-quality, affordable theatrical experiences that move and entertain audiences and inspire community participation in all aspects of a production. The organization is affiliated with the Dassel Area Historical Society and performs 4 shows a year including plays, full scale musicals, and Shakespeare in the Park productions.

About MACT*Fest

MACT*Fest will be March 7-9 at the Depot Theatre in Duluth. It will feature 4 performance sessions, with 2 shows Friday afternoon, Friday night and Saturday night and 3 shows Saturday afternoon. Following each show’s performance there will be comments by each of the three adjudicators. There will also be 4 workshop sessions, 2 Friday morning and 2 Saturday morning, with a choice of 3 options in each session. Saturday, after the final adjudication, there will be an “afterglow” social at Incline Station, located across the street from the Radison Hotel. Sunday morning there will be an awards brunch at the Holiday Inn.

Full packages are available at a discounted price until February 28. After that they will cost a little more. Most of the events are also available al a carte. Visit the MACT*Fest 25 page on our website for more information. Full packages and al a carte items can be purchased on-line here.