As the drama club’s busy season comes to a close with “Oklahoma!,” theater students– from tech crew members to actors– are already getting ready for the next big thing: Senior Directed One-Acts.
One-acts are short plays manageable for a smaller group, and Liberty has the tradition of allowing seniors to pick their own one act shows to cast and direct. Sometimes, seniors even write the one-acts themselves. Then, these one-act plays are performed in succession of one another, and for a whole two nights (May 7 and 9 in the auditorium), they are performed for a live audience.
This year, five seniors spearhead the one-acts scene, for a total of three different one-act plays; “Remedy” by Tyler Bugg, directed by Tyler Bugg (12) and Sebastian Tabers (12); “A Game” by Dennis E. Noble, directed by Alex Emberton (12) and Aidan Cleary (12); and “Help Desk” by Don Zolidis, directed by Micki Morris (12).
“I’ve always done acting, so I really wanted to explore directing. I think it’ll be fun,” Bugg said. “(‘Remedy’) is an interesting story exploring how we treat people different than us. It has a lot of significance in the world today.”
“Remedy” is unique to the rest of the one-acts, as it’s the only one written by a Liberty student.
“It’s a story I’d written for a big group of people for the first time. I’m excited to get feedback,” Bugg said. You can read more about the process of creating “Remedy” here.
As for “A Game,” director Alex Emberton shares some of what inspired him to direct.
“I’ve always wanted to be (a student director),” Emberton said. “It’s a great opportunity for seniors to show their talents outside of acting.” He then goes on to explain the one-act he chose. “I wanted to do something more serious, a nice change from the shows we’d been doing. I felt really inspired by the play ‘Trap’ from last year. ‘Trap’ was a show known for its psychological audiences can expect to feel a little uncomfortable.”
Finally, “Help Desk” is a show that senior Micki Morris has been looking forward to directing.
“I chose this play because I had done it in my acting class sophomore year. It’s lighthearted and takes normal situations and puts humor in it.” Morris said. “I’ve directed a few other things and enjoyed it, and I like this playwright. I find him really funny.”
“Help Desk” is a series of short scenes linked together, a comedic piece. “I’m most excited to let people who want to have a chance onstage shine a bit more,” Morris said.
With a wide turnout for auditioners from all four grades and different theatrical backgrounds, the season of senior directed one-acts is starting up incredibly active. If you want to see the final fruits of these students’ labor, be sure to come see Senior-Directed One Acts on May 7 and May 9.
