The Wilson Black Box is home to many different performances. From drama class to Shakespeare, it is most commonly a stage for Wilson’s more theatrical students. However, once a year, during the One Act Festival, students from all different walks of life gather to create short and memorable plays. This festival is produced by the Wilson Players, the school’s student theater troupe. All of the plays are acted and directed by students and over half of the plays are written by students. This festival draws a wide cross-section of Wilson’s student body. And unlike the “Play in a Day” festival, these shows have been in the making since early January.
The show opens with “202 Ways to Get a Date,” written by senior Kellik Dawson and directed by Dawson and senior Charlie Caspari. This cast features a talented group of actors who worked together strongly as an ensemble. Next up, “Bank Robbery,” written by Eitan Lowenstein and directed by Mati Cano and Hannah Wyatt, uses minimal set and props to create a believable environment. “A Good Old Fashioned People Story,” written by junior Ellie Melick and directed by Melick and senior Michael Bayliss, takes a creative idea and brings a fresh perspective to a political topic.
Ending the first act is “Jesus Take the Wheel,” written by freshman William Wright and directed by juniors Stephen Berg and Teo Topa. The cast skillfully pulls off British accents and uses dynamic blocking to tell their tale.
After intermission, the audience is treated to “A Very Pleasant Hotline,” written by junior Brian Keyes and directed by seniors Asa Canty, Helen Malhotra and Emily Morin. All the actors use strong physicality to display their diverse characters and use hilarious accents to highlight the play’s humor.
Next is “Party Party: Tea and Antipathy,” written by G.L Horton and directed by juniors Molly Berman and Sarah Robinson. The actors show a strong family dynamic and really inhabit their characters. After that, “Substitution,” written by senior Ingrid Fekete and directed by Fekete and senior Devon Monroe, really appeals to Wilson students by creating recognizable characters and familiar situations.
Coming up next is “Best Daddy,” written by Shel Silverstein and directed by seniors Zac Nachbar-Seckel and Ben Topa. Truly an audience favorite, the actors create suspense and build up to a funny and satisfying conclusion.
The last show of the night is “Not So Great Expectations,” written by senior Eva Schulman and directed by Schulman and senior Cleo Krupa. This show displays themes that relate to the real world of theater and ends with a fun girl power dance number.
In conclusion, the One Act Festival is an entertaining and memorable showcase of student talent, hard work and collaboration. All of the writers, actors, directors, producers and tech crew work together to create a set of plays that are thought provoking and relevant. The final night to catch the show is Saturday, February 13th at 7:30. Don’t miss it!
