MADISON – Bob Jones Patriot Players will host its annual Drama Fest on Nov. 2 to preview its one-act play, “The Recovery Act,” and individual/ensemble routines for district competition.

Bob Jones will host the district Trumbauer theater festival on Nov. 3-4.

Drama Fest will open on Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. with all monologues and duets that will compete. At approximately 7:30 p.m., curtains will open for “The Recovery Act.”

In choosing a one-act, drama teachers Dwayne Craft and Mary Davis looked for a topic to which an audience would identify. “With such division and acrimony in our current political and social climate, we decided to speak about extremes of that kind of divisiveness and what it could lead to,” he said.

Set after World War II, “The Recovery Act” looks at the United State after its victory (barely). “Imagine a scenario where Axis powers had developed atomic bombs contemporary with Allies. Imagine a post-war America where fascism flourishes under the guise of recovery and martial law,” Craft said.

Craft describes “The Recovery Act” as a “a cross between Lewis Sinclair’s ‘It Can’t Happen Here,’ Phillip K. Dick’s ‘The Man in the High Castle’ with a little ‘1984’ by George Orwell thrown in for good measure.”

Craft wrote the play with “a cast of many (helpers). The original script gets hammered into a final form through workshopping and re-writes. Student actors/directors have a lot of editorial input.”

“Probably more importantly, Mary Davis acts as the Dramaturg, the person who fulfills the role of providing literary, cultural and artistic insight during the creation of a piece. She helps edit, suggests rewrites and also co-directs,” Craft said.

This production’s major challenge was finding 25 period gasmasks and creating an alternate, but recognizable, version of American history on stage, Craft said.

Lead actors are sophomore Addison McAbee (Cassandra the ingenue), senior Guerin Tidwell (Jacob the juvenile) and senior Brendan Worley Jesse (a lead character). Also, “the whole ensemble. It’s really an ensemble-driven show,” Craft said.

“The Recovery Act” has 24 actors, student directors Makynzie Smith and Gabriela Garcia and 25-plus student designers and technicians handling lights, sound and set movement.

“Beginning, intermediate and advanced students get to perform their individual/duet competition pieces. Advanced Production/Tech/Costumes get to perform our new one-act. Every single drama kid performs. It’s so cool,” Davis said.

Tickets to Drama Fest are $5.