The annual Spring One-Acts are some of the most anticipated performances of the year. All of the plays were student-directed and two of them were student-written, as well.
Junior Anaelle Ndoye wrote and directed one of the plays, while junior Joslyn Jenkins wrote and directed one play and also directed another. Duhita Das and Jackson Burke, both juniors, also directed plays. The plays were all performed last week, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights.
Das was in charge of overseeing the whole production and said it was interesting mostly because “it was completely student-run.” Mr. Tyler, one of the teachers in the Acting Department, suggested that she manage the One-Acts as her spring activity. She was in charge of finding students to write or choose plays to direct, holding auditions and scheduling practices.
“We had more students than ever before audition this year,” said Das. “It was so exciting. Ultimately, we chose five different plays.”
The hardest part, said Das, was the organization and communication with so many different types of people, as she described it. She worked with Mr. Van, who helped with technology, lighting, and the behind-the-scenes work, as well as Tabor’s Headmaster Mr. Quirk, who helped with logistics and permissions.
“The best part was definitely seeing the final product,” said Das. “After working so hard all spring, it was great to see how funny the actors and the plays turned out.”
Senior Lulu Ward acted in the One-Acts for the first time in her Tabor career.
“I’ve always said that I’ll do it my senior year,” said Ward. “And I’m so excited I did it. I’ve done the fall drama before, but it was really cool that the whole thing was done by students.” She noted that it felt more casual and much more improvised. It was less rehearsed because they couldn’t meet quite as often, so they had to think more on their feet.
Acting in or directing One-Acts is a common item on the bucket lists of many Tabor students. They are always hilarious and always incredibly fun to be a part of. Students are free to participate in the One-Acts in addition to sports and other activities, so they get to step out of their comfort zone and try a new, exciting activity.
Writing and/or directing a play is a very rewarding process, too, as you get to see the results of your work. Das and the other directors noted how fun it is to see your work transformed by the actors’ own involvement and influence. Actors add inflection or spin to words to change the meaning, but the end result is the perfect combination of the talents of all those involved.
“It was an incredible process,” said Das, “and I can’t wait for more people to branch out and direct plays or audition for them next year!”
By Madeleine Gregory