by Andrew Papalia ‘24

(From left) Seniors Adriana Bohlmann, Reade Fenner, Emily Scholl, sophomore Ben Schoenberg, and junior Mia Rohan pose for a photo after rehearsing their one-act “Island Escape,” written by Bohlmann and Scholl.

After the success of the fall production of The Little Mermaid, students in Sherwood Theatre are preparing to get behind the camera for the annual Winter One-Acts performance. While other productions are usually directed and run by theatre teacher Elizabeth Kominski, Winter One-Acts flips the script and allows upperclassmen students to not only direct but write and cast their own shows, which will be prerecorded and available for purchasing on January 20.

One of the eight shows to be performed is Five Steps to a Successful First Date, written by seniors Kashmira Heaton-Vakharia and Taylor Hardy. It follows Bruce (played by sophomore Ben Schoenberg) wanting to take Jinny (played by Heaton-Vakharia) to the prom. Bruce and his two friends Clark and Kara come up with a full plan to ask her out, but he is just too awkward around girls to do so. Once at the prom, Jinny is murdered and the group tries to figure out who did it. The satirical horror-comedy is sure to bring not only mystery, but lots of laughs.

“The best part of switching from an actress to a director is being able to work with my best friend,” said Hardy. It is great that regardless of the shows being virtual, directors are still getting the same experience.

Another show in progress is The Group Project, written by junior Jordan Goodman. The story follows a high school jock, Michael (played by sophomore Andrew Papalia), who is failing his theatre class. Because of his neglect to keep his grades up, his teacher makes him do a group project with theatre nerds. As a big football player, Michael is very uncomfortable with the idea of working with theatre kids and is reluctant to do the project. He has to learn how to do well to improve his grade, while working around his theatre-hating football friends in order to get through the project. This classic coming-of- age story is great for those who love cheesy and heartwarming plays, and it will not disappoint
Ultimately, the Winter One-Acts project takes a lot hard work and student effort, and is going to be a theatrical experience that students should not miss streaming when they have the chance.