A long standing tradition amongst the Jesuit Community, the fall brought with it a slew of nine Jesuit Senior-directed one acts. Crowds packed the theatre for four nights spread out across two Fridays and Saturdays respectively. Beginning in October, the Senior directors, working in partners, chose their casts and began rehearsing. As the seniors worked with the groups, they formed dynamic characters and quick storylines, all leading up to showtime.
As a testament to the journey, Senior Will Scott believes that “Directing is much more final than acting.” He elaborates, “When you act, you can rehearse for 8 weeks and then pull your character together in week 9 and perform week 10, that’s possible. You could not be 100% certain of your character up until the last minute, with directing you really have to be good from the get go. If you realize week 9 that you should’ve done something week 6, it’s too late.” Scott previously acted in four separate one acts in years past as well as notable main stage productions such as The Crucible and Amadeus this past fall.
Directing a one act entitled Sure Thing, Scott and Senior Peyton Wilson of Booker T. Washington teamed up for this round of winter one acts. The short performance told a story of a guy sitting next to a girl and attempting to be as “suave” as possible. But, the twist to this one act is that every time one of the two says something off or inappropriate, they ring a bell and start back a few lines earlier. The show was packed full of laughs and deep punch lines that touched on multiple areas of one’s life.
Mr. Parker Hornsby, in his first year as an English instructor and director, “knew from [his] time here before that I wanted to contribute as much as I could to the theatre program in my first year of teaching at the school.” Before coming to Jesuit this year, Hornsby received his Bachelor’s degree in Drama and notes that he has a “special affinity for theatre and plays.” Hornsby went on to say that “it’s a great way to get to know the community and it’s a fun way to build something with some of the students.”
Hornsby later described the one act as “essentially a social satire.” He continues, “The plot involves follows a seemingly ideal nuclear family in the 1950s and pokes fun at some of the nostalgic views we so often have towards “the good old days.” The play is ridiculously silly and poignantly clever at the same time, which allows us to explore its serious theme in a fun way.”
Ursuline senior Meghan Harshaw ’15 described her One Act experience as a director saying “It’s strange. I’ve gone through four years of One Acts and closely watched the process, but it’s so much different than I expected. It’s odd to be in charge a show when you’re used to just being in them. I’ve been acting since I was nine years old, but I’ve never had any experience with directing. My directors last year, Matthew Gilchrist ’14 and Brian Eisele ’14 , encouraged me to try it. I’ve never realized how many details are important in shows. Being a director has given me a whole new perspective on being an actor.”
In regards to her One Act, co-directed with Gino Piamonte ’15, Harshaw said “my show is called ‘Self Defense Against Fresh Fruit.’It’s a stereotypical Jesuit One Act- action packed, ridiculous energy, hilarious (if I do say so myself). The characters have British accents and wear karate suits. It’s awesome.”
When asked about the friendship dynamic and environment in the theater community, Harshaw responded saying “I don’t know where I would be without Jesuit theater. I’ve made my best friends through the program- in part due to the collaborative, comedic shows we put on. The types of shows we do require a certain sense of camaraderie and comfort. That’s one of the most striking aspects of the program: the ease on stage and chemistry of the actors.”
This being her final year in the Jesuit-Ursuline theater program, Harshaw said, “I’m going to miss the rehearsals. The One Acts rehearsals are laid-back and usually hilarious. The actors are encouraged to explore their character through lots of different engaging techniques and games that create an awesome environment.”
For ASC member and teacher James Luisi ’08, coming back to help out with the One Acts “feels really great!” He further elaborated, “As a senior at Jesuit, I wanted the opportunity to direct a show, but couldn’t fit it into my very busy schedule. Being able to come back and direct a one act play as part of the annual winter one acts festival has meant a lot to me in this regard. ”
Mr. Luisi, as a student, participated in numerous theater productions during his time at Jesuit. Since his time he has “wanted to direct a show for some time now, so being able to direct a one act this year has given me the opportunity to fulfill that desire from five years ago. While in high school, I developed a love for theater by acting in many plays and musicals at both Jesuit and Ursuline, so I always wanted the opportunity to be on the other side of the creative process. I think I still prefer acting to directing, but it’s been a fun experience to take the words from the script and bring them to life on stage.
Mr. Luisi will be directing a play entitled Variations on the Death of Trotsky which “takes the actual, historical assassination of Leon Trotsky and reimagines how his death might have happened in 8 different ways. The main character, Trotsky, has a mountain climber’s axe sticking out of his head the entire show and dies 8 different times. It’s a lot of fun!” The play stars Henry Ainsworth ’16, Jared Butler, and Emily Stuhler.
Mr. Luisi’s favorite part about preparing for the One Acts so far has been “seeing the different ways my actors have developed their characters. I’ve seen the show I’m directing many times before directed by other people and with different actors, and I’m always impressed with how fun and alive it can feel when you bring in a new cast and get their take on things.”
The one acts went on without a hitch, and gathered a lot of attention and respect from the community. As the actors and directors say goodbye to their short scripts, they say hello to a Spring to be full of laughs and drama as the department prepares for a Spring Comedy and Musical Revue.
