The Drama Department has already started preparing for the Senior Directed One Acts. This year’s senior directors are Noah Bozue, Charlie Huff, Doug Browne and Greg Robson.
Bozue’s comedy One Act, “A Question of Gender,” features juniors Alex Hubbard, Koel Branson and sophomores Tanya Esmiel and Abby Karst. Preparation has been underway for three months.
“The secret to directing is extreme patience with the cast and a flexible attitude with the ability to work with all kinds of people and do it correctly. My favorite part about directing is having a cast of all my peers and my friends, but it can be hard because your friends think that they can sometimes tell you what to do, but they are not the directors,” Bozue said.
Browne’s One Act, “World Without Memory,” is a somber story. His cast was based off their auditions and previous theatre experience that they have had in the past, including other plays or any theatre classes. It includes seniors Joe Guccione, Drew Silverberg and freshman Kennedy Brown.
“We had to write a paper, a script analysis, that is 75 pages long. It includes anything about the costumes, the lighting, to more complicated things like why characters move and act. The workload is lot to handle, I have spent multiple all-nighters just preparing. I can’t wait for the performances,” Browne said.
Huff began preparing his One Act, “Down Came the Rain” in January.
“My least favorite part [of directing] was the script analysis because it was just so tedious and long. I was up until like four in the morning doing it, and it ended up being 61 pages. We made audition packets with acting monologues and the people interested had a week to prepare, and then they auditioned in front of me and the other three directors. We took notes to decide who will fit best for each part in each show,” Huff said.
Robson’s One Act, “Driver’s Test,” is about a young girl trying for her driver’s license. Robson cast senior Kate Sullivan and sophomore Caroline Vogl to fill the two parts.
“I love being on the other side of the acting atmosphere and just getting to control what happens. I get to direct completely what I want the show to be. It’s really hard being in charge sometimes because the other people are still your friends, and they can sometimes be hard to control. The work that I have to do was hard at the beginning like the essay and the casting, but now I’m into the fun part of it, like the actual directing. The hardest thing is making the transition from idea to full on show,” Robson said.
The performances will premiere April 16 and 17.
