Leaving Iowa Review

The Sibley 2011 fall play, “Leaving Iowa,” had a plot that many audience members were not expecting. The main character, Don, sets out on a road trip to place his late father’s ashes at his grandparents’ house, which is where his father wanted them. Along the way, Don has flashbacks to a particular road trip he had with his father and family a few years before. This is how the play is presented – shifting from the present drive to the grandparents’ place back to the family road trip a few years back. The play is comical, but with a tragic plot.

The main characters were Jack Schuleman as the father, Celia Kneiff as the mother, Megan Rogers as the sister, and Conor O’Leary as the brother and narrator. These characters were superb, of course. Some of the characters that were in the spotlight for the least amount of time, though, stood out most to me. They were generally lowerclassmen and I thought the play displayed the new talent that has come to Sibley.

This was also a more modest play, depending on wooden blocks for a car. This was a great ; it was a great way to show the talent of the upperclassmen in the drama program without all of the bells and whistles of the spring musical. The play was a good choice because each small part had a quirky, fun personality of its own, and gave the actors the ability to make the character their own. All in all, “Leaving Iowa” left the audience moved and pleasantly surprised.

Tags: henry happenings, sibleyscribe