Act I

Lights… Camera… Action!

AUDIENCE: Applause

Act I Play II?

More lights… More cameras… All right, action!

AUDIENCE: Applause

Act I Play III?

Lights… Camera.. Wait a second…

Last Friday, Huntley High School hosted the opening night for its performance of the “One Act Play Festival,” a production that has found itself an annual place in the central commons of the school. 

Unlike other productions performed by Huntley’s theatre program, the play festival is sectioned into several different short skits that are all performed in succession. According to Christine Defransesco, adviser of the whole production, the number of actors and actresses have more than doubled to nearly 50 students in comparison to last year’s smaller cast of “less-than-20.” 

With this many participants, the festival consisted of 9 separate plays. Each play made up of only one act, hence the title of the event. From monologues performed by a single, brave soul to entire scenes enacted by groups, each student has been preparing to perform on this night for hours upon hours throughout the month.

“The One Acts feel more rewarding than my role in Charlie [and the Chocolate Factory]. I actually got a speaking role, and I had a lot of fun” says Sophie Thivierge, a freshman on her first year performing in One Acts.

Between school work itself and rehearsals several times a week, the devotion and dedication everyone put in that night is nothing short of incredible. Even still, the One Acts are more than just a performance. Behind the scenes, the high school has been celebrating the One Act Play Festival for several years for a reason.

According to Defransesco, the one acts are a perfect opportunity for her students to get more experience when it comes to performing. When a new year of freshman or sophomore performers come into the theatre, it might be hard for them to actually audition for a role and compete against the upperclassmen who simply have more experience. Because of this, each play in the One Acts consists primarily of a freshman or sophomore cast.

Overall, every member of the cast agrees that the opening night went wonderfully. Although the district web page falsely claims the event is “free and open to the public,” the original intent was a small admission fee of $5 to help fund larger theatre productions. Even still, the cast raised over $500 through donations and admissions, which allows them to budget for even larger productions in the hopefully near future.