Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, January 8, 2026. Reprinted with permission and gratitude.
By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
Step into our rooms and have a seat. The doctor will be with you soon.
Poe good to see you…
“The play we’ve chosen is ‘The Infamous Soothing System of Professor Maillard,’ and it’s adapted by Raleigh Marcell, Jr., based on Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether,” stated Kingsland Drama Club advisor Sarah Kohn, anticipating the moment that Kingsland’s thespians take the stage to perform a play that raises questions about who’s in charge and what will happen next.
Kohn related, “This is the second year in a row we’ve done an Edgar Allan Poe adapted play, although this one is a little lighter than last year’s. The setting is an asylum, and who knows who’s running the place…this is giving the actors a lot of characters to work with, as one thinks they are a piece of cheese, another one – a chicken, one – a frog, another – a bottle of champagne, and on and on.”
He stated, “The cast includes Reyna Campbell, Haleigh Hyde, Abigail Carlson, Tessah Kovarik, Emma Haddad, Josianna Shepard-Kuch, Mason Klomps, Katelyn Mlinar, Josh Potter, Maddie Horton, Brody Beer, Scarlett Marcom and Emily Sargent.”
Kohn invited the community to support the Kingsland Drama Club’s actors through attending the production’s staging at the Spring Valley Community Center. “We will have our public performance on Sunday, January 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Spring Valley Community Center, with a $5 charge for adults and students. The show runs about 30 minutes.”
Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325
