Park’s “Anatomy of Grey” show advanced in the statewide one-act competition last week, moving to the sections round with five other shows from its subsection.

Freshman cast member Isaac Wahl described “Anatomy of Grey” as a social commentary on the AIDS epidemic critiquing how some Christians blamed various people, specifically the gay population, for the epidemic.

“(Anatomy of Grey) is about a small town where these praying ‘good Christians’ are getting sick and they don’t know what to do because there’s no one to blame it on.”

According to theater director Jodi Hatzenbeller, the cast first began rehearsing the show in November.

“We started (preparing) right after Thanksgiving break and we’ve been working on it progressively since then,” Hatzenbeller said.

Wahl said the show was one of six winners of the subsection round of the state’s one-act competition, and is now advancing to the sections round. According to Wahl, other subsection winners included Edina and Holy Angels.

According to Wahl, Because the play usually runs an hour and a half, the cast made cuts in order to compete in the one-act competition.

“We had to cut it down to a half hour, so we had to get rid of a lot,” Wahl said.

Hatzenbeller said at the subsection competition, the show ended abruptly in order to avoid elimination.

“We almost went over in our last performance,” Hatzenbeller said. “We ended the show early – we just cut the lights and ended it so we didn’t get disqualified.”

Wahl said those interested in learning about new cultures and history will enjoy the sections competition, and are welcome to attend.

“(Sections) shows what other schools around Minnesota are doing. (The shows are) often informative and well-done,” Wahl said.

Hatzenbeller said the cast is doing an excellent job of conveying the story through powerful images and acting.

“I just think we put together a really aesthetically pleasing show that tells a story visually,” Hatzenbeller said. “We have some really strong actors who are helping enhance the storytelling.”

For those interested in watching sections, admission to the competition is free, and will be held 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Feb. 4 at Academy of Holy Angels.