As a culmination of all they learned and practiced throughout the school year, the upper school ACT 1 class performed two student-directed one-act plays at the beginning of May: Little Women and The Distracted Scholar’s Guide to Literature and Drama. Each act was not only directed and performed by students but also included costume and set designs from the ACT 1 team. Their creativity and collaboration shined on stage, demonstrating the students’ ability to successfully work together to implement production from script to stage.

When asked about her experience in ACT 1 this year, Junior Kayla Brooks shared that working as a student director for the one-act plays was her favorite part: “It proved challenging when it came to focusing on the task at hand or not changing our plans, but the entire process was really enlightening and entertaining. The best part of being a part of a student-directed play is that I got an inside look at the show process and what it takes to organize and cast a performance. The entire process really helped me appreciate the efforts of our directors. I was so proud of both casts because of their dedication and trust in us directors, along with their patience and willingness to grow by learning from other students.”

Sophomore Sarah Welburn was the stage manager for one of the performances and explained: “I was exposed to a part of theater that was new to me, and I learned that stage managing is something I really enjoy doing. The best part of these student-directed performances was that we were able to collaborate and bring a vision to life as a team. Getting to act and design together was a lot of fun, and the process allowed for creativity as new skills were developed in a low-pressure environment.”