The transition from fall to winter, and from winter to the New Year, invites a long-standing tradition to the Grosse Pointe South auditorium — One Acts. Encasing four student-led productions, One Acts allow a select few Blue Devil thespians to embrace their creative autonomy and take on the role of a director.

Avery Barbour ’23 is an anomaly among his fellow student directors, as he is the only one who wrote his script. Barbour said he started constructing the story around the end of last year, and it slowly transformed from an on-and-off project to a more serious endeavor.

“This (script) is kind of like a living, breathing document,” Barbour said. “It’s gonna keep changing as we keep reading it and finding out different things about it, what works and what doesn’t.”

For Rebecca Dral ’23, participating in One Acts is an entirely new venture. Though she has been in several plays, her dedication to competition dance has hindered her ability to audition for One Acts in the past, but this year she decided to bring her inclination for acting to the forefront. Dral said that in comparison to the annual school play, the time students must dedicate to One Acts is significantly less than the former, equating to four hours a week at most.

“It’s a lot more laid back in the directing,” Dral said. “They obviously want you to show up and do what you’re supposed to do, but it’s a lot less pressure to be absolutely perfect.”

According to Barbour, the sheer variety of the individual One Acts sets them apart from previous years, ranging from more somber themes to that good humor and exuberance.

“I feel like we have a really strong selection of One Acts this year that I hope we’re able to get off the ground and going smoothly,” Barbour said.