Rep Theatre Prepare for One-Act Shows

Next week, 18 Repertory Theatre students will be presenting their original one-act plays on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday after school. The shows are written, directed and casted by the students. Each set of plays will take place in the Little Theatre, free of charge. Students have been working on bringing their original shows to life since January.

“You have to get an inspiration for your show and have an idea of what you want it to be about,” Junior Becca Mader said. “Which, oftentimes, this can be one of the hardest parts.”

Junior Chloe Kerwin found her inspiration through poetry.

“’I really like writing when I’m sad or mad or happy,” Kerwin said. “I can’t just sit down and write something, I have to have some kind of inspiration for it, whether it’s just an emotion or something that actually happened to me. I turn the poems into music.”

After transferring their thoughts to paper, students produced their scripts. And after revision, they decided who in the class would best fit the characters they created in their shows.

“This is a little challenging because you can only cast from the people in your class, so you have a somewhat small selection,” Mader said.

Students are ready to rehearse once casting is complete, and the show starts to take shape. Read-throughs, working on blocking and memorizing scripts are all part of the rehearsals.

The final touches involve gathering all of the props, writing light cues, finding sound effects and getting costumes. Another factor to contribute to each show’s individuality is the music. In junior Tyler Armer’s show, junior Amy Meiring plays violin at the end, which contributes to the general feel of the play significantly. Prepping for their first performances next week has been both stressful and exhilarating.

“I love the excitement, the stress, and the overpowering joy when I see it all come together,” said Junior Elsa Bernauer. “These past four months have been a blast and just show me that, yes, this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing.”

All students are looking forward to presenting their plays next week and the satisfaction that comes along with it.

“My favorite part about this project was that you got to see your show come to life, from the vision in your head to the final product on stage. To me, there’s no better feeling than when the curtain closes at the end, and you get to be proud of what you’ve done and accomplished,” Mader said.

Ashley Ritchie, junior, finds the same satisfaction in the end.

“By far the best part of creating your own one act is the applause you get after your cast takes their bows,” she said, “it’s just very reassuring to know that their are people in the audience that support you and want to see you succeed. And I think that’s definitely the best part hands down.”

All shows on next week’s line up are unique to their director’s creation; some goofy, some heavy hearted, and some inspiring. One thing every show has in common is the hard work, determination and creativity of every student presenting.

One-Act Schedule:

April 20

Carlie Smith

Chloe Kerwin

Mollie Mytinger

Tyler Armer

Nick Morgan

Jack Kneesy

April 22

Leah O’Connor

Becca Mader

Elsa Bernauer

Annika Kuhnke

Katie Dahlor

Amy Meiring

April 23

Nikki Konomos

Natalie Kaufmann

Daphany Edwards

Catherine Beasley

Ashley Ritchie

Megan Heeney

To get a sneak peek of the shows, take a look at some of the rehearsals that occurred Thursday during 2nd hour.