As November comes to a close, an annual tradition of responsibility, and innovation rolls around, one-acts. The production is made up of student-directed plays that are put on every year by various seniors in the Pointe Players, Thespian Troupe 49, or other students at South who are interested in theater. Daniel DeMarco, English teacher, and Pointe Players advisor has advised this tradition for the last year, but overall he tries to keep the production student run.
“Students direct them, they cast them, they figure out their sets, and talk to the technicians,” DeMarco said. “They confer with me but I don’t make any creative choices other than to comment on what is and what isn’t school-appropriate.”
This year, five seniors have run plays by DeMarco and all of them have been pertinent and professional. Regardless, DeMarco has kept a solid reminder to keep plays pointed and enlightened.
“I absolutely allow controversial topics, but only if they are handled in an educational and appropriate way,” DeMarco said. ”It becomes difficult when the setting is in a bar, but you can only change so much, so some ideas have to be declined.”
One-act director, Sage Porter ’24, has been involved with Pointe Players since her freshman year. She feels ecstatic it’s finally her turn to direct one of the short plays. Porter has only participated, both in crew and acting, in a few one-acts, due to Covid, but this opportunity has put her right back into the one-act spirit.
“It’s like a right of passage,” Porter said. ”If you’ve been in the Pointe Players for a while, then the excitement just accumulates, it feels kind of special.”
Porter’s act is called, “Cosmic Fruit Bowl,” an act about the exception of new fruit into the world and how this addition makes the fruits “contemplate life.” She has been composing and preparing since last spring and since auditions, things have started to come together.
“We’ve only just got started, but it already seems so fun,” Porter said. “I’m going to communicate with my cast to figure out what their schedules are like and then we will get started.”
