Senior Directed One Act Critiques!

-SDOA's-

Every year, the BHS theater department chooses a handful of lucky seniors to direct their own one act! Last year I had the pleasure of critiquing the several hit shows which premiered on our stage. While legendary actors and actresses like Skye Baker, Maddie Dye, Felix Hooper, and many others have left us, we still have the Senior Directed One Acts to look forward to.

This year's lineup was a blast, with so many talented features and rising stars. So without further ado, let's get into it!

-Zombie Boyfriend-

It’s strange to start with such a strange play, and yet here I find myself critiquing it in spite of the circumstances. Argh is perhaps the most eloquent way to put it, at least by the standards of this play. 

Brought to you by senior directors Jacob Keesee and Wesely Jarrett, this play revolves around your average teenage girl struggling with a lack of common sense at her zombie-filled high school. 

Whilst many scenes were on the more, interesting side, there were a few major highlights. One of the first groups to fall prey to the zombies is actually the jocks. Why, you may ask? Turns out, it’s hard to distinguish a zombie from a jock. They both grunt, they both have a lack of brains, and they both desperately crave young female flesh. Yikes.

However, the best satirical scene has to be when Jesse Hogan, junior lead actress, attempts to speak with the principal. First she asks the Assistant Vice Principal, who tells her to go to the Vice Principal, who tells her to go to the Assistant Principal, who finally allows her to climb the management ladder and speak to the Principal. Finally sitting down with said Principal, played expertly by junior actress, Ellie Long, Hogan asks for help. What should I do?! asks Hogan. Long responds with this,

“We suggest counseling. We hope it’ll get you to shut up.” 

Now, you can’t help but love that level of top tier sarcasm. The laughter was palpable as it washed over the life-like scene. But they weren’t done.

Without the help of the school, Hogan turns to the only one who can help, a fellow teenager. Jude Hitzelberger, senior actor and theater newcomer, enters the stage as a zombie hunter. Despite this being his first and last debut on our stage, he was positively perfect. Paired with his trusty scientific assistant, played by junior thespian Raine Driggs, the trio began to plan a rescue mission. And where better to cure a horde of teenage zombies than at the one event no teenager could miss: prom!

Hitzelberger and Hogan jump into action, using tasers and flashbangs like there’s no tomorrow. One by one, they strike down the undead swarm, finding heart beating excitement, as well as heart beating romance, as they save the student body. Having now saved the school, their romantic tension was tangible, with the two speaking in that awkward, pained way which new found crushes converse. And that, dear readers, is how this supernatural-fighting, bad-butt kicking duo was born. You couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

As I sit and write now, I muse on the ironic witticisms of the one act. For a play focused largely on satirical brain-rot, both literally and figuratively, I have to admit it was a smashing success. Though I believe there were one too many experimentals uttered by the side-kick scientist, it was a hysterical, high spirited, and fun play to watch. 

Congratulations to Jacob Keesee and Wesley Jarrett, as well as their stage manager, senior Betty Bond, for bringing us this unbelievably wonderful show!

Zombie Boyfriend Cast!

-Rogues Gallery-

Once again, I find myself critiquing the yearly SDOA’s; once again I was casted in one. Senior directors Arthur Bond and Cora Bond (also siblings), found my talents useful in their lovely one act known as the Rogues Gallery. Centered around a ‘modern art piece’ made of cardboard boxes, which gets destroyed, two lousy security guards must figure out who did it before a fancy art critic arrives. 

At the beginning of the show, we put several cardboard boxes together to represent modern art. My role was to hide in these boxes, for nearly thirty minutes. It was a boring endeavor, purely so I could pop up later and surprise the audience. However, it allowed me to watch the entirety of the one act with a front row seat.

First came three burglars, played by junior actors Bowie Pertchik and Jonas Porter, with junior actress Charlotte Munsell as their head honcho. Speaking in the funniest British accents imaginable, I was constantly clamping my mouth to keep from laughing at their hilarious bits. Whilst searching for something to steal, Charlotte would wreck paintings, discombobulate sculptures, and roll around on the floor in mock stealth. But most importantly, we applied a key modern art piece to the gallery: a banana duct taped to the wall. Each night, Bowie or Jonas would move to the wall, carelessly ripping it from the fixture and taking a bite. It was simply genius.

Meanwhile, the security guards, played by junior actress Izzie Valluzzo, and senior actor Ethan Townsend, hilariously came up with ways to explain this all to the art critic. After some impromptu Sweet Child O’Mine dancing by sophomore actress, Jordan Cramer, fondue was promptly spilt all over the boxes. Finally, freshman actress Jay Pelanne burst into the gallery, sitting and squashing boxes left and right. All at once, I was allowed to escape my box-troll prison and emerge, startling the audience into an easy laugh. 

When it was all said and done, I entered again, this time as my double-casted role of art critique, alongside the double-casted Jonas, playing the artist whose work had been destroyed. When the art is finally revealed, I circled it in a fervorous passion of ‘perceived’ bubbling anger. Just as it seems all hope is lost, I wax poetic about the beauty of the art piece and my tragic backstory living next to a box factory. RIP to my imaginary sister, Lorraine.

All in all, the Rogues Gallery was perhaps the most fun I’ve had in a while. I, being a pretentious writer, am normally rather reserved. Yet Arthur and Cora, as well as our whole cast, brought out the silly, goofy side of me. In other words, it was pure joy to work with all of them. 

I won’t soon forget this one act, and I extend love to every last one of my cast mates. You are all such talented individuals, and I adore you.

Congratulations to Arthur and Cora Bond, as well as their senior stage manager, Isabelle Queen, for producing the show of a lifetime. 

Rogues Gallery Cast!

-The Last Day of School-

Have you ever heard the song Dance Monkey? Have you ever seen a gorilla, clad in a pink hat that saw Chappell Roan in concert, twirling with pom-poms to the song Dance Monkey? If you haven’t, you will in this one act.

Senior directors Evie Perks and Ellen Riegger pulled off what I can easily say was the best one act I’ve ever witnessed in my four years at BHS. A stunning piece based entirely on the element of character connection, it was as if I watched an hour of anecdotes taken straight from the hallways of BHS.

It began with Allie Eastwood, junior actress and familiar face to our auditorium. She gives the morning announcements for the last day of school, but with a twist. She dares the senior class to be brave, be bold, and take risks. Then, in a spiteful stab at the ex who abandoned her at prom, she tells the whole school that Dance Monkey by Tones and I will be playing over the speakers for the remainder of the day. Over and over. 

For every subsequent scene change, their stage manager, junior Jacques Wheeler, appeared in a gorilla costume to usher in the next segment. On the second night, stage manager for Jailbirds, senior Sam Farmer, joined the fray in a policeman’s uniform, chasing down the ‘escaped gorilla’.

Regardless of their simian shenanigans, the main scenes were surprisingly realistic. From a rope-climbing gone wrong to a pizza hangout turned makeout, each scene was crafted with character connection in mind. The friendships and newly formed bonds between these high schoolers were what made it so beautiful, and so spectacular to view. I felt genuine emotions for each and every character who walked across that stage, and every actor and actress found ways to reach me. 

Junior actor, Daniel Filiatreau, let his talent shine as he switched between his double-casting of nerd and jock. Both roles were played by him with a dedication and comedic allure that had me on the edge of my seat.

On the other hand, junior actress, Allie Eastwood, had me heaving with laughter as well with her double-casted character, Emmie. In a scene she shared with the incomparable junior thespian, Vivi Fox, Eastwood played ‘the stereotypical high school weirdo’. Adorned in an I Love Doctor Who t-shirt with non-matching wolf pants, (donated from the closet of fellow junior actress, Logan Melton, along with the aforementioned gorilla costume), she was perhaps too good at her job. Allie made me nonstop cackle again and again as she waltzed across the stage with her uncharismatic idiosyncrasies on full display. By the end of her performance I was practically shouting bravo! and by the end of the one act, I stood with applause and exclaimed, “Now that’s theatre!” 

Congratulations to Evie Perks and Ellen Riegger, as well as stage manager, Jacques Wheeler, on your magnificent show!

Last Day of School Cast!

-Original: Jailbirds-

It is with a particular pleasure that I begin to write the first ever critique of Jailbirds in existence. For those of you who don’t know, Jailbirds is an original jukebox musical written by our very own actress, writer, and senior director, Emma Harvey.

It began as an idea, cultivated with the aid of Jackson Howland, her fellow actor and senior director. A one act, no, a musical one act! Reminiscent of a prison-esque adulterated episode of the Office, Jailbirds took to the stage in full fashion, and flagrant style.

For context, Jailbirds follows Chandler and Roy, two Joisy boys serving time in a Rhode Island penitentiary. Chandler creates a musical for the prisoners to audition for, whilst Roy plans on using it as a cover to escape. For a musical, it surely did sing. Perhaps too much, in fact. 

Whilst a piano melody recorded by Harvey’s own mother played in the background beautifully, the ensemble struggled to keep up with the rhythm. The discordant voices, while entirely intentional due to the ironic tones of the play, were lost to a catastrophe of sound quality. The piano too loud, the projection of singing, non-existent. I had trouble attempting to decode the lyrics, which were, sadly enough, quite beautiful once you can understand them. Here’s an excerpt from their Sound of Music rendition:

Do(ugh) - the thing, I laundered well

Re(ay) - the partner I sold outtt

Me - a name, that you can steal

Fa(r) - a long long way to runnn from the cops

So - solicitation of briberyyy

La(w) - the rules I like to break

Ti - I’m serving ten to lifeee

That will bring us back to jail, jail, jail, jail

What ended up making this musical sing was, in fact, a newcomer to the BHS musical scene, freshman Millie Fritsch. God, you could write sonnets to her voice! It ebbed and flowed beautifully, finding ways to transform inharmonious jabber into a melodious ensemble. Without her, the production would have surely failed.

The same can be said for Felix Proffit, junior lead and co-star of freshman, Ry Stone. Whilst Ry did a fantastic job as Roy, Felix was the one who shocked me with his portrayal of Chandler.

As a senior, it’s been my privilege to watch the actors and actresses of our department grow from freshie ensembles to leading roles; you see, every thespian has what I call ‘the divine role’. This is the one performance for which you will be remembered, the one role in which you embody the character so thoroughly that the performance is near perfection. That is what I saw from Felix Proffit.

His movements, his accent, the way his face smirked in that undeniably Chandler way, it was brilliant to watch. And yet, he did not hog the spotlight. He played off the witticisms of Ry, who bounced effortlessly from thought to thought and worked with the intensity of a drugged Hollywood legend. Together they stole the show, and rounded out the performances with their indescribable sing sing extravaganza. 

Congratulations to directors Emma Harvey and Jackson Howland, as well as co-stage manager Sam Farmer and junior co-stage manager Clara Soto on your incredible show!

Jailbirds Cast!

Special thanks to Emily Gruver for allowing the production of these shows. Matilda the Musical coming soon to BHS, stay tuned for more information!

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Written by Thomas Repass

Photography by Thomas Repass and Emily Gruver