After a year of online school, the student-led One Acts return to the stage with their 2022 theme “3, 2, One Acts!” Together, the drama department presents five short plays, “Wake-Up Call” directed by senior Sarah Watson, “Nightwalking” directed by senior Chanel White, “Porphyria” directed by senior Gray Ruffer, “Clyde’s Conscious” directed by senior Lucy Christensen, and “Head over Hats” directed by senior Erin Bowers. 

“One Acts this year are called ‘3, 2, One Acts!’ due to the wide variety of shows we have this year,” said Christensen. “We have Acts that have to do with cowboys, mermaid people, vampires and sometimes just regular life. We landed on a theme that was pretty open-ended for a show with something for everyone!” Christensen directs “Clyde’s Conscious”, featuring “an extremely awkward man struggling with his personified self-consciousness on a date.”

A long-running tradition of the Drama department, One Acts gives seniors a chance to be in the director’s chair. “I’ve been looking forward to directing since I was a freshman,” said Watson. “Every actor has had moments in shows where they wished they were in charge, or think they could totally do this better. But directing is very difficult!” 

“I’ve learned a lot about flexibility. I share an actor with a fellow director, so planning out rehearsals and solving time conflicts has been something that I hadn’t expected. All of the odd problems and decisions I never worried about as an actor have sort of fallen into my lap to solve. It really grew an appreciation for the directing side of production,” said Watson. “I’m in love with my show and I’m so proud of what my cast and I have created, I can’t wait for all the lights and costumes to come together. I’m really living the dream!” Watson directs “Wake-Up Call,” a story about “conflicting realities, family drama and mistrusting your own consciousness.”

“Seeing my actors bring the script to life has been one of the best parts of directing so far,” said White. “Going into it I was very scared of the responsibility that came with full artistic liberty of what my show was going to look like. The scheduling, planning and design and well, directing of it all were somewhat new to me. I knew vaguely what needed to be done with little idea of how we were going to execute it. But the process has been far less stressful than I assumed it would be. I have loved all of it, especially my actors, and the payoff makes every moment of panic worth it.” White directs “Nightwalking,” a heavy drama that follows “the inner monolog of a married couple as we learn about the night walks that break them apart.” 

“We’ve had to make a lot of hard decisions, even when it comes to just day-to-day rehearsal, and it’s taught me a lot about confidence and how to be authoritative without being cruel,” said Ruffer. “The amount of work that goes into every role- even the ones onstage- is insane! I always put a lot of work into acting, but being in charge of all of the moving parts can be overwhelming but still extremely rewarding.” Ruffer is the director of “Porphyria,” a dark comedy that “follows the trials of friendship as they slowly unravel just who’s human in the group… and who doesn’t quite make the cut.” 

Senior Erin Bowers directs “Head over Hats”, “a cowboy comedy” written by junior Luisa Garamvolgyimamede and sophomore Robin Rosenau, adapted by Bowers. It features the largest cast out of the 2022 one Acts.

After last year’s pandemic caused many Thespian events to be moved online, “Theater is back! Come see it,” Watson exclaimed.