One Acts took place March 1 and 2

The One Acts took place at South this past Wednesday and Thursday, March 1 and 2,  at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

A One Act is like a play, but only 10 to 30 minutes long, according to Luke Bove ’17, one of the directors.

“Shows are two acts, so usually it’s one act from a show, and most of them are comedic, the ones that we do,” Bove said.

Bove said this is also a reason why people should attend the acts, because of it’s comedic essence, in addition to the student involvement in them.

“All of them are funny and they are student-run, which is cool because you get to see what students are doing,” Bove said.  

The performances are sponsored by the Pointe Players, a theatre organization at South, according to Meaghan Dunham, the advisor of the acts.

Dunham said her job is to select and to work with the four seniors who get to direct the show. In order to be a director, the seniors must have accumulated the most amount of Thespian Points, which they can do in a variety of ways.

“Points for being in shows, for working in shows, for being officers, attending workshops and state festival, those are the students who we announce at the end of the year who get to direct a One Act,” Dunham said.

Jerome Manning ’17 is one of the directors of the One Acts, along with Mary Reinman ’17, Abbey Schuetze ’17, and Luke Bove ’17. Manning said he got into theatre and play when he was in the fifth grade.

“I saw a play at Pierce, and from that moment I was like ‘Oh I’m going to audition for the play at Pierce,’” Manning said. “So my next year when I was in sixth grade I auditioned for ‘A Christmas Carol’ and I was casted as Marley, and from then I really liked it and just kept going with it.”

Being a director comes with its commitments, Manning said. he director picks the cast, sets up rehearsal, the programs, and where to rehearse.

“You have to schedule around everyone’s schedule so that everyone can make it,” Manning said. “You have to pick your play and have Mrs. Dunham sign off on it. So if you pick one she doesn’t like, you have to read another one that she’ll like. It’s pretty big but it’s not overpowering.”

In addition to organizing the One Acts, Manning said another difficulty that comes with the job is drawing the line between being a director and being a friend.

“I’m in choir, and most of the people that audition are from choir. I’m friends with all of them so it was hard for me at first to give them direction without sounding mean,” Manning said. “I had to really get out of that mindset and realize, okay, I’m trying to help them so they can give a good performance, and not be their friend at the time.”

Dunham said she agrees with Manning that there is a great deal of work that goes into the One Acts, dating back several months.

“They’ve been rehearsing since December. Probably a two or three minimum hours of work outside of school. And then this past week we have spent 15 hours putting the show together as a whole. It’s a big commitment, but it’s worth it,” Dunham said.

As to how the acts are chosen, Dunham said that it’s the students’ choice of what they are going to perform.

“It’s rarely original, it should be published because they’ve got enough work to do without also writing a play, but if someone had created an original work, we would consider it,” Dunham said.

Dunham said overall, the students do a really nice job and have a really intense experience creating the One Acts. She said that the show provides a shorter and less serious alternative to traditional theatre.

“If you don’t want to go and see two and half hours of really intense theatre, the choices this year are all comedies. They are really light and really fun, and it’s often a little more light-hearted and a little more zany than the fall play or the musical,” Dunham said.

Manning said that students should go and watch the One Acts not only to see their peers but also because they’re funny.

“They are all comedies this year, so you’re gonna leave with a smile on your face. And you’re probably going to know someone in it, so you should come support your friends,” Manning said.