The Jesuit Senior One-Acts have always been a time for those involved in Jesuit Theater to really let their personalities out on stage. Generally, these short plays have been whimsical, funny and energetic. So one would expect this trend to continue, right? Well, the answer is a  yes and no. Changes are coming, but the one-acts running from January 15 through 18 will still be as enjoyable as ever.
Theater Director Mr. David Myers assures everyone that these changes will be beneficial and mind-opening. “There are two major stories in the one acts this year: for the first time ever, the audience will vote on them during the first three nights. Only the upper half will perform on the final night. And second, we have shifted to weightier, meatier scripts, like ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and ‘The Lottery,'” the latter some may remember reading in middle school, a dark and deep story. This shift in routine livens up the entire one-act experience, making the one-acts extremely interactive, bringing the audience closer to the stage. A total of 4 plays will be performed all four nights.
The senior student directors embrace the change wholeheartedly. Senior John Jackson thinks the changes will “improve on all of last year’s [one-acts]. Last years have been good, but they’ve been incredibly silly…[we want to] take it in a more mature direction while still having that really casual entertainment value,” balancing between seriousness and general appeal. “We want to have professional quality shows…without being stingy,” maintaining accessibility.
People may ask if people in theater have changed due to this directional shift. Senior Preston Duff maintains that the whole theater experience is essentially the same.
“[Guys and girls] are on a ‘sports team,'” said Duff, demonstrating that everyone involved in theater shares the same tenacity to craft the best dramatic experience possible, similarly to the way a sports team wants to play their best. However, he says people change themselves in a sense on stage, since “they’re not standing as they normally would…they’re standing as a lawyer, as a doctor, etc.”
This seems all well and good, but how do the girls feel about these revisions? Meredith Peel (Ursuline ’15) appreciates the difference. “Jesuit Theater has been a lot of fun lately,” she asserts, “[I like Ursuline Theater too], but this has been a lot of fun. It’s my first year…it’s a pretty big time commitment, though.” If you want to do what you love, you need to make small sacrifices. It’s all for the sake of creating the best product.
Director Rose Mannas (Ursuline ’14) is “looking to make sure that people know that just because plays aren’t funny doesn’t mean they’re not good.” She also wants to let people let their inner selves out. “People change onstage. I’m also directing to show the boys that girls are better.” She’s generating competition, but everyone’s having fun. She also has strong opinions on Ursuline theater. “Jesuit is better…[Ursuline] directors aren’t very kind…”
Tickets go on sale in 2014. You can expect to see the directors and actors work their magic this January!
