The show must go one: one family, one act
In an almost completely student run event, the theater class performed their annual set of One Acts. Despite having limited contact with theater teacher Marilyn Strange, who was on maternity leave, the show went on as planned.
“Mrs. Strange isn’t involved (in the One Acts), so you really see the true talent that everyone else has,” said Isabelle Bordagaray, sophomore.
Over the last five months, groups of students have been meeting in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) and even at their homes to produce a selection of One Acts. Two sets of these student-directed shows played from May 22 to May 24.
“They are shown in showcases which show three or four at a time,” Rory Smith, freshman, said. “That way you get a variety of styles of writing and acting.”
A one act is a 10 to 15 minute short play that may have one or multiple scenes. As the name implies, there is only one act, so there is no intermission in the middle of each play.
“They are shorter plays,” said Miranda Kildee, senior, “and there is a lot of freedom as to what you want to do with it because it’s such a short amount of time on stage, and you want to make sure that it makes an impact.”
Smith agrees with Kildee, that even though one acts are shorter, they are able to create a strong impression. “They are short, but they get their message across,” Smith said.
The One Acts have been an annual tradition for years, but this year there was a slight difference in their production: theater teacher Marilyn Strange was on maternity leave with her newborn son.
According to Kildee, to work around their teacher’s imminent absence and to fit in all of the auditions and time required for both “Our Town” and the plethora of One Acts, Strange had to hold all of the auditions on the same day.
“The One Acts are really unique because a lot of schools don’t do them,” said Bordagaray. “People submit a script they found (that is) written by professional playwrights. Mrs. Strange, the theater teacher, picks which ones she likes and which idea she likes and if you are one of the lucky ones you get (to perform).”
The students in the One Acts also had to contend with split rehearsal time with “Our Town”.
“The One Acts were all student directed, so the directors had to work around the schedule for ‘Our Town’ which took precedence over One Acts, because the One Acts were (held) after (“Our Town”),” said Kildee.
The One Acts have concluded for this year, but will be open for auditions again next year.
