Repertory Theater Students Perform One-Acts

East’s Repertory Theater classes will be preforming the second day of their original one acts in the Little Theater on Thursday. These 5-15 minute shows are written, directed and performed by the Rep students themselves. 

The students have been working on their plays since early January: building sets, perfecting lights and sounds ques, directing their casts and memorizing lines of their own.

“Being a director and writer really forces you to take total responsibility for every aspect of your show.” junior Emily Donovan said. “It’s very high-pressure, but it can be equally rewarding seeing something you created and worked so hard on go smoothly.”

The first half of the shows were performed on Tues. April 26. These included “The Piano” by Eli Mitchell, “Quotables” by Spencer Davis, “Memories” by Melanie Fletcher, “Night Light” by Jack Dee, “Charles Waldo” by Mallory Harrington, “Overload” by Isabelle Ciaramitaro, “Geoff” by Sean Bailey and “Like the Lion” by Devery North.

Junior Mallory Harrington’s, Charles Waldo, received extreme amounts of applause. It starring Jack Dee as seven-year-old Charles, and Camille Breckenridge as his puppy dog, Tangent. Over a two day period, Charles realizes from the ups and downs of his everyday life that life is a like a sine wave. That life has its highs and lows, but the lows are just there to help people appreciate the highs more and to make them stronger.

“Seeing that it was well received felt great.” Harrington said. “It was gratifying to see it all come together because a show is like your baby.”

Dee’s Night Life was also loved by the audience. This short thriller was about two teenage girls at a sleepover who dare each other to call back the spirit of Bloody Mary, who makes her appearance.

“Everything that could go wrong technically did, yet it still was rewarding experience to see everything that I’ve been working on be performed,” senior Jack Dee said.

At first “Bloody Mary” turns out to be Davis, one of the girl’s older brother in disguise. But, just when you think she is safe, the lead, junior Maddy Pigeon, gets swept behind the curtain screaming just before a blackout and a flash of Bloody Mary’s face projected onto the curtain.

“You think it would be really awkward being directed by each other, but since you have known your classmate for so long you are confident that they know what they are doing and they know what they want,” Pigeon said.

With their second day of performances still to go, the Rep student are anxiously awaiting their performances. Half out of eagerness to share the work, and half out of excitement to be done with the vigorous work load.

Dee described the preparation of the Rep Shows as “painful yet invigorating.”