Staples Players’ rehearsals for their annual one act plays have begun. One acts is a festival that Staples Players hold every year as a final assignment for their Theatre and Directing course. The short plays are entirely student-run, with upperclassmen picking their play, holding callbacks, picking their cast and ultimately directing them. But with “Twelfth Night” rehearsals running simultaneously, and with the performances going on this week, Players are busy balancing both. 

President of Players Jordyn Goldshore ’23 is directing her fourth one act play of her high school career. “One act provides for an ultimate experience as a student director and is a crucial step in learning the fundamentals of theater,” Goldshore said. “It is so much fun and really shows how much students are capable of when it comes to putting all of our artistic works together.” 

Each group has around three to four weeks to rehearse their one act after school. One week consists of showings, when a professional director comes in to give students notes and advice. This is the students’ chance to truly see their plays through a professionals’ lens. Eventually, each group is able to work with tech in order to put their plays on stage and in front of an audience. 

At the end of April, before seniors leave on internship, they will have completed a full play entirely directed and run by them. 

“It is an extremely rewarding experience,” Goldshore said. 

Samantha Edwards ’24 enjoys the process of creating the one act performances. It is an experience that is more laid back and interactive than preparing for a normal large show, such as Twelfth Night. 

“Acting in one act is very lowkey compared to the other players’ shows,” Edwards said. “The rehearsal process is way less of a commitment and it’s a fun experience that everyone can participate in and you become super close with the actors and director.”