Creativity takes center stage at high school’s one act plays

Writer/directors of this year’s YSHS drama club’s One Act Plays, from left, front row: Lara Donnelly, Anna Forster, Meggy Hild. Second row: Max Buchwalder, Drew Stratton, Elliot Cromer, Kelly Miller. Back row: Peter Keahey and Zane Reichert.

By Virgil Hervey

An author has issues with some characters who keep popping up uninvited in her stories. A man who burned down his house over unrequited love looks for new love in an unexpected place. A man encounters unreasonable security delays at an airport, while other passengers pass through without a problem. Warring racial factions unite to fight aliens from outer space.

A baker’s dozen of one-act plays written, directed and produced by Yellow Springs High School drama club students that will be presented on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8 and 9, at 8 p.m., and on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m., at the Antioch Theater.

In its 17th year, this year’s production more than doubles last year’s output of six plays.

“It is amazing, the talent, passion and energy that have gone into these plays,” Jill Wells, coordinator of the one-acts, said in a recent interview. “The students own this. These are highly involved students who have a lot going on elsewhere.”

Wells, a self-described theater nerd in high school, minored in theater at Miami University and has taught theater at the YMCA. Her day job is with EDvention, an organization affiliated with the University of Dayton that promotes the development of education in science, technology, engineering and math.

In her second year as coordinator, she describes her role as “not a director, but more like a producer,” helping the kids, finding space, working with the college, scheduling rehearsals, working with the Theater Arts Association on advertising and hunting down props.

“I am jealous of the students,” she said. “Some of these plays could be produced elsewhere.”

The most prolific of the dozen or so students who describe themselves as writer/directors is senior Peter Keahey. Having written or co-written eight of the plays, he epitomizes the spirit of collaboration that winds like a river through all of these productions. He collaborated on six plays this year and went solo on two more.

“I wrote four plays last year,” he said. “This year, a lot of people wanted to collaborate with me. Collaboration is fun.”

Most of the writer/directors are also acting, either in their own plays, or those of others. Senior Drew Stratton, who collaborated with Keahey on two plays, is acting in all of the one-acts.

“It’s going to be a great show this year,” Stratton said. “There is a lot of funny original stuff. The seniors are at their pinnacle in acting, writing and directing.”

Senior Max Buchwalder collaborated with Keahey on “Flight Delay,” the play about the man stuck at airport security, and “Gametime,” a comedy about a game show. This is his first time writing, after having acted in the one-acts in the past. With the Water Gala and college essays clogging the schedule, Buchwalder was finding the pace hectic at the last minute.

The youngest of the playwrights are freshmen collaborators Kelly Miller and Elliot Cromer. Their play, “Homeless,” is the comedy about the man who burns down his house. As with most of the participants, both Miller and Cromer have YS Kids Playhouse experience.

“It’s been a blast, hanging out with everybody, collaborating,” Cromer said over the phone from Keahey’s house where many of the students were rehearsing their plays last Friday afternoon during a teacher in-service day.

Senior Meggy Hild, writer of “All is for the Best,” the play about the author with the uncooperative characters, enlisted the help of senior Anna Forster as a co-director. Forster has also written and is directing her own play “Journey Home,” which develops the theme of growth through a plot that has characters who have been thrown together and have to help each other in their quest to return home. Both students have had extensive experience with the one-acts.

The plays are more student-run than in the past when they were directed and cast by Mary Kay Clark two years ago and Marcia Nowik before her, according to Forster, because Wells pushes the students to take more responsibility. There has been less structure and, with all that has been going on at school, especially with the Water Gala, the students had a harder time meeting the deadline

Consequently, the date for the plays was pushed back a week, Wells said, to allow the students more time to get their acts together.

According to Theater Arts Association board member Theresa Mayer, the one-acts are an efficient way to raise money for the YSHS Drama Club, because expenses are low due to the fact that they don’t have to pay royalties to the playwrights.

“Thanks to the parents, the Theater Arts Association and Antioch College for their support,” Wells said. “The parents especially have been great.”

Tickets are priced at $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students. No reservations will be accepted, but the box office will be open two hours before each performance.

Contact: vhervey@ysnews.com