The Black Box Theater filled with laughter and chaos as the school’s theater department presented its annual One Act Plays, featuring performances from multiple classes and the induction of new members into the International Thespian Society. The night highlighted both the creativity of student performers and the depth hidden beneath seemingly silly scenes.
The performance opened with the International Thespian Troupe introduction led by troupe president senior Hudson Kerr and co-president junior Andy Dailey, who welcomed new inductees into the honors society. The International Thespian Society recognizes students dedicated to theater, requiring 25 points or about 250 hours of work.
The first major performance, “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” was presented by Theater 3 and 4 and consisted of 15 short plays performed in about 30 minutes. Each piece was very different, ranging from absurd humor to moments that pushed the audience to think more deeply. Scenes like “The Art of Acting,” where characters physically demonstrate how actors are “constructed,” and “Guilty,” which used flashlights to interrogate audience members, blurred the line between performers and spectators.
Other moments included “Honestly,” where an actor questioned the audience and demanded truthful answers, and “Cyrano,” which turned audience members into characters being directed live onstage, both creating laughter while also making the audience members very conscious of how they’re being perceived.
Senior Blaise Barber, who appeared in several scenes, explained that preparation for such a fast paced and unpredictable show was different from a traditional production.
“It wasn’t a show you could prepare for too much or you’d get stuck in your head,” Barber said.
Barber added that the focus was more on working with scene partners to keep each moment going. He noted that while the play may seem goofy on the surface, it carries more meaning when examined closely. He explained that while scenes included childish insults, absurd proclamations, and even ripping up a play number onstage in “This Play Does Not Exist,” many of the plays subtly explored ideas like insecurity, honesty, and how people perform versions of themselves for others.
“The title tells a story,” Barber said. “if you really stop and look, there’s a deeper part to every play,and you get more from watching or performing the play if you look deeper.”
Following that performance, Theater 1 students presented “Aftermath,” a play that combined humor, science metaphors and social commentary. What began with jokes about unit tests and aliens quickly evolved into a commentary on identity, bullying and revenge. Through exaggerated situations, such as aliens misunderstanding humans and classmates mocking one another, the play used comedy to reflect on real world issues while still remaining silly in nature.
The night concluded with “The Real Story of Alice in Wonderland,” also performed by a Theatre 1 class. It is a reimagined version of the classic tale that split Alice into two characters: “nice” Alice and “mean” Alice. The play explored the tension between kindness and cruelty, asking the audience to consider which version of Alice, and by extension, human nature, ultimately prevails. Audience participation played a major role, with viewers voting on the outcome of the final confrontation between Alice and the Queen of Hearts
Savannah Monahon, who appeared in the production, said the rehearsal process was different from a traditional show since much of the work was done during class time.
“It was very interesting because it’s different from any other show. It was mostly just memorizing and really locking in during class,” Monahon said. “By the end, we were able to get through full runs pretty quickly, and for my parts it was very easy to manage without a lot of extra practice outside of class.”
Altogether, the One Act showcase proved that even the shortest scenes can leave a lasting impact. Through humor, audience interaction, and creative risks, the theater department demonstrated how performance can be both entertaining and meaningful.