This February welcomes a long-held tradition of the Maggie Walker Drama Club back to the stage. Please give a round of applause for One Acts! The annual one act plays are different from any other performances the Drama Club does because unlike the winter and spring shows, all One Acts are directed by Maggie Walker students, and two of them were even written by students this year. Juniors and seniors in the Drama Club spent weeks writing ten-minute scripts that were contenders for the final lineup. In the end, four were chosen to be in the One Acts exhibition: “A Dollar” directed by Sarala Kennedy (‘23), “Old Lovers in Dressing Rooms” directed by Kin Dillon (‘23), “An Irish Engagement” directed by V Bryson (‘23), and “Resolved” directed by Zoe Will (‘22). The lineup of shows is extremely diverse, with plots ranging from an Irish period drama to a modern queer romance. Regardless of age or interest, viewers will certainly enjoy at least one of the four shows, if not all.

Because last year’s One Acts were rehearsed and performed fully on Zoom, many Drama Club members are glad to be back in person. “I’m so grateful,” said Zoe Will, a senior director for One Acts. “It’s really great to have it in person. It also reduces the strain on tech, so I hope it all goes well.” Trying to work on Zoom was like starting drama all over again, with lots of kinks in the system that had to be worked out. In that year, props had to be picked up from school, directors and actors had a hard time communicating with each other, and the One Acts were filmed on call and distributed by email. Overall, students thought it was much less rewarding than putting on a successful in person show.

“This year, I feel like it’s been going relatively smoothly despite a lot of the setbacks we’ve had in the past,” added Will. “We’re still unsure about what might come up in the next few weeks, but otherwise I think that it’s much better than Zoom.”

Not only have upperclassmen been working hard, but student actors, regardless of grade level, have been attending rehearsals to hone their skills and bring their classmates’ scripts to life. Many of the actors have been working to portray completely different people, with some cast members having to learn how to speak in an accent and others figuring out how to convincingly play the air guitar. The casting process also had some setbacks of its own. Auditions were originally going to be held the Wednesday after Winter Break, but due to a series of snow days, they were postponed to Friday, giving everyone some extra anxiety about whether or not the pre-decided schedule would be affected. Regardless, students rose to the occasion and gave it their all that day, with some actors performing so well that they were cast in two different shows. Currently, rehearsals are being held multiple times a week and students are trying their best to memorize scripts and bring well-thought-out characterization and emotion to their respective plays.

Students can see the One Acts on February 10th, 11th, or 12th, to celebrate the hard work of Maggie Walker students and to get a glimpse of the school’s theatre scene.