Student Life

photo by Chloe Giroux

PROLOGUE
Stanton College Preparatory Schools Night of Student
One-Act Plays, a showcase of student talent in a few short,
student-produced plays, celebrated its 25th anniversary
in February. Since its founding in 1992, One-Acts has
enriched Stantons thespian culture and made a lasting
impact on the schools drama department.

SCENE I: Genesis
Twenty-five years ago, two students walked into
Stanton drama teacher Mr. Jeffrey Groves classroom
and approached him with an idea for
a student-written, student-directed
show unlike any Stanton drama
production ever seen before.
I admit with shame that I initially
said no, because I didnt think students
could pull off such a huge project,
said Mr. Grove. But after John and
Steve showed me several scripts that
students had written, I decided to let
them give it a try. I always say that
Ive never been happier for students
to have proved me wrong.
The production not only received
a full house, but also paved the way
for the modern-day One-Acts event
which attracts packed audiences three nights a year. By
taking initiative in an effort to make a real contribution to
theatre at Stanton, those two students, John Crawford
and Steve Batterson, created a production whose legacy
would live on over 20 years past their graduation.
This legacy is embodied in the system Crawford and
Batterson developed for the creation of the first One-Acts,

the same system used to help ensure the success of the

show today. The process begins with script selection.
Each submitted script is evaluated and ranked by a
committee of judges, including the senior producer and
junior producerthe two students who oversee the cast
and crewfaculty members and Drama Club officers.
After the top three to five plays are selected, directors are
chosen and auditions are subsequently held, open to all
students.
I think that I was pretty open about casting; I tried not
to go in with any preconceived ideas about what kind
of people should get certain roles, said senior Colleen
Weller, co-director of the play Greetings. If someone

ranging from a retired action star to a man with a horse

mask fused to his head.
The unique character types made me nervous before
auditions, said Mendillo. However, I wasnt let down by
the immense talent found at Stanton, and I think the cast
came together beautifully.

SCENE II: Thinking Outside the Black Box

After casting decisions are finalized, each team of
directors, actors and stage managers begins rehearsing.
This years cast and crew met every day after school in
Stantons Black Box Theatre, the same performance space
occupied by the students who produced
the first One-Acts show. The Black Box
has served as the go-to rehearsal studio
for one-act plays for 25 years, yielding
many successful student dramatists.
Several
One-Acts
participants
have achieved recognition through
the Educational Theatre Associations
annual Thespian Playworks competition.
In fact, former student Jonathan
Rands play Hard Candy, which
won the competition in 1998, tied for
seventh place on Dramatics Magazines
2014-2015 play survey for the top ten
short plays performed in high schools
nationwide. The play has been listed in
the top ten for the past 14 years. Accomplishments such
as these serve as turning points in the theatrical careers
of numerous students.
Without the Night of One-Acts, my entire life would
have taken an entirely different direction, said Rand.
That may sound like an exaggeration, but its true. The
first play I wrote was the springboard to everything else
from the play-publishing company that my brother and I
founded to my entire career as a professional playwright.
Soon after winning the 1998 Thespian Playworks
competition, Rand teamed up with his brother, Doug
Rand, to create Playscripts, Inc. Their company, which
independently publishes new plays and musicals,
published nine of the plays on Dramatic Magazines most
recent top ten list. Also, a play that Jonathan wrote in
2003, Check Please, has maintained the top spot on the
list since 2005.
Similarly, One-Acts alumna Aliza Goldstein was
recognized in the 2009 Thespian Playworks competition
with her one-act play Other Peoples Garden Gnomes.
In her first year at Stanton, Goldstein became the first
freshman to have a play accepted for One-Acts. She later
became the first student to have plays accepted every
year she attended Stanton.
Writing for One-Acts was really the highlight of my
time at Stanton, said Goldstein. Knowing that every year
was a new competition drove me to improve my work and
really try to write the best play I could.
After graduating, Goldstein pursued a career in

Without the Night of One-Acts, my entire life

would have taken an entirely different

Senior Producer Kristen Oliver (left) and Junior

Producer Bella Clements (right) are seen emceeing
the 2016 Night of Student One-Act Plays.

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Jonathan Rand, Stanton alumnus

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read well and deserved the part, then they got it. I even
asked the writers to change the gender of one of the
characters because someone read the part so well.
Depending on the character list of each play, the task
of finding actors to fit each part can be daunting. For
instance, Junior Hannah Mendillo, co-director of Joy
Oaks, was challenged with finding performers for roles

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direction... The first play that I wrote was the

springboard to everything else.

Sophomore Jonathan Perrera (left) and senior Brandon

Schroeder (right) are seen playing the Judge and
Punster, respectively, in The Play of Pun-Pundred
Puns during the 2016 Night of Student One-Act Plays.

vol. xxxii, no. 3