One Acts Illusion: Return to the Theatre

George Yi

Arts & Sports

One Acts Illusion, a student-run play festival comprising four consecutive “one act” plays, has recently returned to the student body. After restrictions from in-person productions for two years, the One Acts team has made a remarkable comeback in getting this festival back on its feet. Completely organized by students, including production, acting and writing, the festival consisted of four performances: Out of My Mind by Wyatt Humble, She Paints Her Roses Red by Theodora Vulpe, The Trials and Tribulations of Finding a Husband by Maya Alvo, and 1999 by Maya Bay Bergman.

The team had only five weeks to put this production together. Many challenges arose, as One Acts is usually put together within four to five months. In contrast to the Addams Family, One Acts rehearsals were in the midst of exam season, as well as the transition period between semesters one and two. “The hardest part of it all was the scheduling,” said One Acts producer Jessica Halpern in an interview. However, the team managed to overcome the challenges they faced in a professional manner.

Writing a play takes passion and dedication. Playwright Maya Alvo wrote Trials and Tribulations of Finding a Husband in only three days. It is a play based on a true story that focuses on a quirky university student, Marcy, trying to find love with the help of her best friend, Helen. “At the beginning, it was hard to find an idea that I really liked and would be able to write in a few days […] because I need to be passionate about something in order to write in a short amount of time,” she stated. Maya Alvo was also the Head of Props and assisted the running crew during show nights. She shared, “I’ve always talked about wanting my work to be shown to the world […] this is the first time it actually has been! It meant a lot to hear people laugh and find it funny."

The best part about working on One Acts is the sense of community. The transition from an online to an in-person production highly strengthened the connection and relationships between the team. “Although out of necessity, we’ve had to move to an online format that’s not theatre. The return to in-person was vital for the festival itself because that’s what makes it real—that’s what brings the connection,” producer Genevieve Lee expressed. Selin Altay, an Out of My Mind actor, shared, “Our characters have grown so much […] due to all the warm-ups we’ve done and just getting closer as a cast.” Coming back to in-person was a drastic change from what they were used to. Nonetheless, getting into that theatre space helped the actors adapt to any new challenges they faced. “It was a lot harder to project because we were used to speaking into mics that would pick up our sound,” stated Tyler Yeung, another Out of My Mind actor.

From early mornings to late afternoons, rehearsals were exhausting, but it was no match for the passionate One Acts family. “The early mornings were always hard, but worth it,” Tyler Yeung shared. A key part of working in theatre is collaborating with everyone towards a collective goal. Hannah Teicher, one of the directors of Trials and Tribulations of Finding A Husband, stated, “I really enjoyed seeing the difference of how I viewed their characters versus how they viewed their characters and finding a middle ground.” “Everyone has a role to play, everyone is so important, and it was so fun to collaborate with everyone,” said Jonah Kaplun, one of the She Paints Her Roses Red directors.

Despite all the challenges the One Acts team faced, with limited time and resources, they pulled it off. From playwrights and directors to actors and stage crew, One Acts Illusions couldn’t have been accomplished without the immense amount of dedication put into it.