Acting I performers and Creative Writing screenwriters are joining forces on today and tomorrow, March 10 and 11, to bring ten performances of student written plays to life at 7 p.m. in the Eagle Theatre.
Most of the featured scripts written by Created Writing students received professional staged readings from theater company TheatreWorks in January. Now, they’re recreated by two periods of Acting I: fourth period’s collection “The Descent” and fifth period’s “Slice of Life.”
“It’s always so fun to watch and read somebody’s new, original work,” Acting I teacher Lisa Battle said. “And it’s exciting for those playwrights to see it at the stage reading with professional actors, and then see it fully produced with new actors,”
With two plays overlapping between the periods, “The Descent” features the following scripts: “The Button” by sophomore Christine Sampson, “Sabotage” by senior Annabelle Lee, “Rule of 4s” by sophomore Cielle Brannin-Mooser, “When the Lights Flicker” by senior Haley Volkert and “Out of the Zone” by senior Santiago Gonzalez Cruz.
Fifth period’s “Slice of Life” features “The Button”, “When the Lights Flicker,” “Stuck in the Room (and Closet)” by senior Ishika Modi, “Pride and Pepperoni” by senior Tyler Elman and “Dark Side” by junior Adina Baker.
Although the periods share two scripts, Battle said the showcases carry different tones. According to Battle, “The Descent” builds towards more serious themes while “Slice of Life” leans into everyday humor. Acting students intentionally created an arc for each showcase rather than presenting unrelated scenes.
“They picked the ones they felt were most suited for the stage,” Battle said. “Two of the plays are done twice, and I was fine with that because this is their only show and I want them to really care about what they’re performing.”
Throughout the year, Acting I students built foundational skills through monologues, improvisation and shows for local elementary schools. Now, as a testament to all they have learned, students are handling the full scope of production — tackling directing, props, staging and acting in Tuesday and Wednesday’s performances.
For students new to theater, the upcoming production has been a learning experience.
“I didn’t know about the different roles people had,” senior Abhinav Tammana said. “Technicians, directors, producers — all of them. But since we started this project, I’m getting to know about these things.”
Directing “Pride and Pepperoni” in fifth period — a play following the son of a pizzeria owner as he pursues his dream of becoming an artist — Abhinav oversees rehearsals and shapes the tone of the scene with occasional guidance from Battle. For him, even the logistical elements came as a surprise.
“We need at least 10 different things and I wasn’t expecting that initially,” Abhinav said. “Even now, I think we have to buy some set pieces.”
For technician sophomore Kavi Hathi, the production has required him to take on new responsibilities, including bringing Abhinav’s set pieces to life.
“It’s my first time doing tech work,” Kavi said. “We all learn together. I thought it would be really hectic, but it’s actually pretty orderly.”
One of Kavi’s largest projects has been costuming for “The Button,” a dating game show-style-script with characters that represent cliche personalities. Kavi said each costume must visually communicate those identities.
Battle’s Acting I class exposed students to the stage with initially little to no theater experience. This semester has narrowed the gap between the varying levels of experience, according to Battle.
“I had kids who you couldn’t hear at the beginning [of the year], and now you can hear them,” Battle said. “There are students who were terrified to be on stage and now are forces to be reckoned with.”
After three months of preparation, Acting I’s student directors, actors and technicians will be behind the curtains. Their work is scheduled to perform 7 p.m. today for “Slice of Life,” and tomorrow for “The Descent.” The event is free.
