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Forrest Musselman has written plays since he was in high school at Peterson. The school had a tradition of presenting class skits; when it was time for the yearly competition, Mussleman’s peers immediately turned to him and expected him to write their skit. Forrest didn’t disappoint — he loved writing plays!
Forrest left high school thinking he’d like to be an actor. At Winona State, Theater Professor Vivian Fusillo took him under her wing and fostered his love of the theater; Forrest was in all of her shows while in college. Musselman wrote much of a Theater of the Mind children’s theater play featuring folk tales from around the world and was later asked to write Fusillo’s play for her 40th year of children’s theater.
After graduating in 1993 with degrees in both creative writing and theater arts, Musselman became the one act play director at R-P in 1994. He also did assorted odd jobs as a waiter, writer, and artist in residence. R-P Superintendent David U’Ren noticed Forrest’s great interaction with students and suggested he try his hand at subbing. Although he hated subbing, he did decide to return to WSU to earn a bachelor in education.
Forrest then spent six-and-a-half years at Studio Academy as the head speech coach and English teacher. When he heard of Gretchen Schade’s plans to retire, he jumped at the opportunity to apply at R-P so he could work closer to his home in Mabel.
Musselman has taught at R-P for the last 17 years. In addition to teaching English and directing plays, he is the assistant speech coach.
Once again he was directing R-P’s one act. After using other writers’ plays for a couple years, he became tired of having his actors play adults. Wanting them to act in plays about teens, Musselman decided to write his own play.
For “Collage,” his first one act play, Forrest received help from R-P English teacher Joanne Agrimson. She had her kids write about being kids, and Forrest used those writings to create “Collage.”
The second year, he wrote “Chipped” and the one act won a trip to state. The interest in theater grew exponentially at R-P then! Musselman was asked to direct an all school play at R-P and has done so ever since.
At this point, Musselman has written over 30 plays. When asked for his favorite, Forrest said he had two. “A Deep Poetic Journey Into Something” is a favorite because it’s a timeless story about a teenager who thinks she doesn’t fit in. R-P went to state with that play as well.
Forrest’s other favorite one act is “who are we, who we are. “That play was based on the real life experiences of one of his students as he dealt with his mother’s declining health. The play also deals with the anxiety and depression that plague so many teens.
Musselman has never directed a play twice except for “Alice in Wonderland,” but even then they were written by different playwrights.
The workshopping of a play is what Forrest enjoys most about writing plays. “That’s when the magic happens!” Forrest commented. As the students do the plays, they tell him what they think; sometimes “happy accidents” happen and the script is constantly tweaked.
When asked what he enjoyed least about writing, Forrest quickly answered, “Getting my butt in the chair!” Once he gets started, he loses himself in the play, and hours go by unnoticed. As he writes,he just wants to get it done. A one act play on average takes him a couple weeks to complete.
Musselman prefers to write one act plays over other length plays. “If you do it well, it’s like a poem!” he declared. He enjoys being able to tell an arcing story and evoke emotion in a condensed version.
While he wrote and published many poems when he was just out of college and tried short stories, he always comes back to his favorite — the one act play. Forrest explained, “Short stories have too many details; I think in dialogue.”
Musselman shared that he is especially proud of R-P’s success in one act plays. For the past 18 years, R-P one act has advanced from sub-section to section competitions every year. This is something they never talk about until the season is over.
“It helps to have someone who’s passionate about the program itself and willing to put in the time and be there consistently,” Musselman responded when asked why R-P did so well. He credits his students for their hard work, dedication and drive.
The new theater at R-P has changed the experience for students and director alike. “I feel like a spoiled baby with the new theater!” Musselman exclaimed. He shared that the worst part of the old theater was when he’d have to lean a ladder up against a single bar in the middle of the theater to focus lighting for a show.
Now he hosts an event for area schools to work on their one act plays. Last year, 15 schools attended the event; professionals, judges and experts were brought in to teach classes during the day and help each school’s group with their plays.
Last fall, Forrest Musselman was selected to receive the Theater Educator of the Year Award. After a nomination by Michael Tillmann, former director, speech coach and judge, META (Minnesota Educational Theater Association) selected Musselman from among all of the theater directors of A and AA Minnesota schools for the award. Obviously, the award was indeed well-deserved! Musselman engages his students and works hard to help them find success in theater.
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