Student One Acts take the stage
Student One Acts are one-act plays written, directed, teched and acted by students, making them unique from many mainstage productions, such as NPHS’ fall musical and spring play. While they took place May 9 and 10, the real roots are found at the beginning of the school year. The process starts with an in-depth course on the fundamentals of directing and different styles, and students were then given complete artistic freedom as they explored scripts and casts.
Marilyn Strange is the theater teacher at NPHS and works to foster large amounts of creativity, specifically in relation to the Theater Two course and directing. Rather than taking a head-on role in each of the productions, she focuses more on helping students find their directorial path. “For me, it is a lot of coordinating and making sure everyone is on track for success,” Strange said.
Creating and adapting a one-act begins with the writers. Maxwell Hellard, senior, has written two One Acts prior to this year, with his final piece being “No Way José,” which he co-wrote with Cameron Winick, senior. “Cameron and I love creating satire and absurdist comedies, and ‘No Way José’ was a great send-off to our NPHS Theater writing careers,” Hellard said. In addition to writing the script, Hellard landed himself the role of José. “It’s all about the fun,” Hellard said.
On the Theater Two directing side, one acts can be broken down into three main parts: the reading and choosing of a script, the casting of the show and the directing process. Camden Aschbrenner, sophomore, co-directed “No Way José” and worked as head stage manager for another performance, “Running Mates,” written by Cameron Winick. This gave Aschbrenner multiple perspectives of One Acts, and the experiences they bring. “One Acts are important to allow students to step out of their comfort zone. The majority of students are acting, designing and directing for the first time and they jump straight into the production process to learn and grow,” Aschbrenner said.
Another perspective can be provided by Charlotte Norris, junior, who both acted in and stage managed two separate One Acts. Norris acted in “No Way, José,” and stage managed for “Love, Newt.” Both roles, while equally important, require different focuses and skill sets. “As a stage manager it’s important to familiarize yourself with your show, and as an actor it’s important to learn your blocking and get to learn how to interact with your castmates onstage,” Norris said.
From start to finish, One Acts are beginner-friendly and creatively stimulating. Many have noted it as a great way to enter the theater community. “I highly recommend participation for anyone that wants to. Feel free to come talk to me in G-2 if you have questions or are curious about anything,” Strange said.
