By: Aby Spitz (class or ’23)
I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I decided to audition for One Act. I just knew I had heard good things about it and my friends said I would have a good time in the class with them. They were right. I have had so much fun and have learned so many lessons from this class. So now that I have an understanding of what One Act is, let me tell you all about it.
One Act is a class that you have to audition to be in. That audition is held the year before so that it can be put on your schedule if you get in. Most people would think it’s a class for only actors, but actually, there are stage crew, costumes/makeup, assistant directors, and lighting and sound people. Basically, all the aspects of theater are represented by the students in the class. Some years the class chooses a play and other years it is written by the actors and crew. One of the main skills needed for the class is teamwork.
Every aspect of the class is about working together to make the best show possible. The classes are spent working on all the parts of the show and rehearsing the scenes in order to get ready for the competitions. The competitions are Sub-District, District, Sectionals, and State. You are not guaranteed to make it to Sectionals or State. That depends on how well you do at the competitions leading up to them. There is also a performance for the 5th-hour classes as well as one for the public. I would highly recommend getting involved in One Act if you have any interest in theater.
The rehearsal process for one act is a collaboration of many ideas. The practices are never the same; they are different each day depending on what needs to be choreographed or worked on. Overall it’s a student-led production, we go off into small groups to create something then come together as a big group to meld the ideas. This year I play a Tragedian with 4 other people, these are my favorite types of roles. We don’t have any lines to learn but we get to help carry the story along. Each of the Tragedians needs to have their own special type of movement. One of the things we needed to do to help us was to find a video of a person who walked and talked like we saw our character. We get to work really closely with each other which is a fun time for everyone.
I bet the audiance has no idea how many versions of the show we have created before getting to the one they see when the curtain goes up. I am sure Figg holds her breath a little in hopes that we don’t take too much creative leeway with the final product.
Come see our Public performance on November 11th at 7pm
Act Out 