Every spring, the Franklin Theater department takes a break between the musical and the spring play to open up the opportunity for students — specifically upperclassmen — to learn how to direct. This festival consists of a collection of one acts, or short scenes, that showcase a variety of different topics. This year’s grouping featured comedies such as “All Cotton” by Shel Silverstein and “Head Space” by Cynthia Faith Arsenault, alongside dramas like “It’s Not You” by Craig Pospisil.
This year’s show had a total of seven scenes, each directed by an upperclassman group with an underclassman cast. This opens up an opportunity for younger grades to get acting experience that might not be available with the musical and spring play.
Act 1
Directed by juniors Calypso “Cal” Kupper and Violet Hampton, “Choices” is a one act written by James McLindon. Witty and short, the scene follows two characters, played by Jolie Salinger and Brodi Arreola, who are discussing a hypothetical issuance scheme to release someone from the detrimental holds of student loans. “There was a lot of anticipation about the choices that were made when directing the actors. Lots of waiting and waiting just for the one big moment,” says Hampton. Kupper notes that this experience is different from other theater productions, stating that “the biggest difference was having more control and responsibility around the choices made. It was also cool being able to see the progress the actors made based on the choices that we made.”
“It’s Not You” by Craig Pospisil was directed by junior Audrey Lynch. It is a classic tale of friendship and betrayal. The short scene takes place between 42nd and West Fourth Street in New York City, New York. Actors Autumn Boyle, Renee Reda, V Goetz, and Archer Cody vibrantly display the struggles of being in a friend group of four and are directed with a “silly and enthusiastic” style.
Freya Maher and Josephine Emmanuel-Mitchell take a creative approach to directing “Head Space” by Cynthia Faith Arsenault. Colored, timed light flashes show the switch between someone responding in their head versus saying it in reality. Ember Dore, Sofi Bishop, Toby Moore, and Willa Macpherson bounce back and forth between reality and “headspace” while on a first date. Maher comments on the “easy introduction to directing, especially because it’s mostly peer-focused,” expanding by describing how “it feels a little less high pressure, it is also a lighter event, something fun to introduce the concept.” She also touches on how the one acts are different from the musicals — Maher starred in last fall’s production of “The Little Mermaid,” as Ariel — saying that there is a responsibility aspect that as a director she has to fall into, a responsibility to use her creativity to express the story written.
“All Cotton,” written by Shel Silverstein and directed by Lennon Vidricksen and Madeline Diaz, features a small clothing boutique that specifically specializes in cotton clothing. A disgruntled customer, played by Samuel Buckwalter, confronts the witty shop employee, Fern Preppernau, ending in a long debate and enthusiastic glitter surprise. While Vidricksen declined to comment, saying that she was “onto bigger and better things,” Diaz complemented the full circle experience of the one acts, noting how she and Vidricksen “were the actors in ‘All Cotton’ her sophomore year, then this year [they] got to direct it.” She also describes the directing process as a “learning” experience that allows for “creative and hands-on impacts.”
Act 2
“Philadelphia” written by David Ives, was directed by Indie Becker, Owen Phillips, and Rocky Hellis, featuring actors Evanna Diaz, Will Lowe, and Maggie Mosher. This fast-paced, witty, and tongue-twisting short scene rationalizes someone being down in a slump. Becker comments on the “intimate” feel of directing. Due to the small number of actors, they can “work with the individuals, focusing more on character development.” Phillips expands on this by saying that it was “really nice to work with a full cast. Getting to build a more personal relationship with them was different when compared to the musicals.”
Directors Bela Aveline and Juniper Israel-Davis embrace a “hands-on approach” while directing “Putt-Putt” written by George Sapio, a sitcom style play about an innovative take on mini golf. Israel-Davis stresses the differences in working directly with the actors — Jordan Roberts, Emma Ehrbar, Logan Markwell, and Elliot Watts — compared to doing tech for the musicals, noting how “it’s nice to be able to have direct contact with the actors. [They] can fulfill [their] own creative vision.”
“On the Porch One Crisp Morning” written by Alex Dremann, with direction by Marin Kauffman Smith and Zola BuhlSmith, displays a hypothetically wholesome conversation between a mom — Pax Tamura — and her daughter — Mesa Nelson-Nord. Cups of tea and rocking chairs are the outline for the eye-opening conversation that they are about to have. While directing this fantastic scene, BuhlSmith and Kauffman Smith took a “calm, relaxed approach and encouraged experimentation with the way the actors viewed the scene, allowing for independence and self-decision on the acting end.”
From comedies to dramas, the Franklin Theater department put on a show stopping event, one that will last ages, a timeless tradition. The loops of acting and directing carry on, as underclassmen become older, taking their turn directing the same shows they were cast in when younger. See you next year One Act Festival!
