The WEM One Act Play actors put together a fantastic performance Saturday, Jan. 22, placing second in the Sub-Section Competition.
That effort has advanced them into the six school Section 2A competition which will be held Saturday, January 31 at Waseca High School.
Performing a piece called "Nellie," based on the true story of Nellie Bly, the WEM students brought to life the real hardship of woman at a New York Insane Asylum. Audience members could feel the grief, anger and frustration from the performance of the students.
"I'm so proud of the hard work and dedication our students have had over the last two months to make this happen. They wanted to succeed and they listened to every suggestion from myself, each other and those around us,” Director Andy Velishek said. “We spent last week tweaking things we learned at the Gopher Conference showcase on Saturday, January 17 to improve and give us a chance. Now we'll use suggestions and comments from judges last week to adjust things as we prepare for Section Competition this Saturday at Waseca High School.”
WEM characters include the following student/actors:
Senior Abby Crosby, daughter of, Kurtis Sr. and Nikki Crosby, plays the role of Nellie Bly.
Senior Ryley Henning, daughter of Zach and Ashley Thorne, plays the role of Anne Neville.
Senior Jaelyn Wilmes, daughter of Melissa Buske, plays the role of Catherine.
Senior Emma O’Brien, daughter of Patricia Nordstrom, plays the role of Bridget.
Senior Sophia Harvey, daughter of Colleen Harvey, plays the role of Nurse.
Sophomore Madalyn Hackney, daughter of Adam and Carrie Hackney, plays the role of Miss Grupe.
Sophomore Isabelle Bauer, daughter of Jason and Karyn Bauer, plays the role of Mrs. Fox.
Sophomore Lacey Reysack, daughter of John and Carla Reysack, plays the role of Tillie Maynard.
Sophomore Leah Meschke, daughter of Terry and Anna Meschke, plays the role of Louise Schanz.
Freshman Jerimy Bohlmann-Little, son of Tom and Crista Bohlmann-Little, plays the role of Man.
Freshman Janessa Wilmes, daughter of Melissa Buske, in an additional cast member.
The Sub-Section 5 Championship went to...
To see more on this story pick up the January 29, 2026 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.