By Emily J. Weitz
In years past, the Pierson High School fall theatrical production has been a full-length play, but this year, the cast and crew are offering something a bit different — a series of one-act plays. Strung together to form an evening called “Le Buffet des Theâtres” the one-acts will be presented in the auditorium of Pierson this Thursday through Saturday.
Doing a series of one-acts as opposed to one longer production offers a different experience for students because “they are presented with a lot of different focal points,” explains Gary Schulman, a seventh-grade English teacher and director of the evening’s plays. “I wanted to use a variety of actors to give more kids a chance to get involved. Plus, I wanted them to see the different challenges that each play presents.”
Students certainly will get to sample a variety of theatre from the plays selected. Christopher Durang’s “An Actor’s Nightmare” deals with a common anxiety dream for actors: showing up five minutes before showtime and having no idea about the play in which you’re about to perform. It addresses themes like fear and anxiety, which are “definitely themes that kids can relate to,” says Schulman.
“It’s a deep play,” adds Patrick McKenna, an 11th grader who plays George, the main character in “An Actor’s Nightmare.” “It took a few reads… It’s really a reflection on a lifetime, and the changes he would have made.”
One-act plays offer an opportunity to get in and out of a story quickly and to capture an audience and take it for a ride. But for high school students, for whom performing is an unparalleled tool for understanding theatre, one-acts offer something else: flexibility.
“We get to explore a lot more,” says Holly Goldstein, a 12th grader who will appear in “An Actor’s Nightmare” as Ellen. “Usually our productions are much bigger, but with the one-acts, the casts are smaller [five actors in ‘An Actor’s Nightmare’]… We were able to block it ourselves, and really feel it out.”
Other plays that will be performed include “The Bald Soprano” by Eugene Ionesco, which was first performed in the 1950s in Paris and is now considered part of the “Theatre of the Absurd”. In its absurdity, the play questions society and the empty conversations that can take place in parlor room banter.
“This play deals with the silliness of society,” says Schulman. “This kind of absurdist theme is something different than they may get in their English classes.”
The third piece that will be performed is Woody Allen’s “Death Knocks,” which is a take on the classic film “The Seventh Seal” by Ingmar Bergman. In the film, a man postpones his inevitable demise by challenging Death to a game of chess. In the play, in classic Woody Allen style, Death is challenged to a game of gin rummy. One message the students get from this kind of take on a serious theme is that “something doesn’t have to be realistic to be real,” says Schulman. And in some ways, this playful way of addressing death allows them to be more comfortable with it.
The fourth piece that is slotted for the evening is Anton Chekhov’s “A Marriage Proposal,” which again takes a look at society with a humorous eye. As a suitor attempts to propose to a woman who fears becoming an old maid, the two can’t stop bickering for long enough to get the proposal out.
“At first when the kids saw the plays we’d be doing, they were skeptical,” says Schulman. “But as they got deeper in they began to see how similar the questions asked on stage were to the questions we ask in life: How do I get along in the world? How do I deal with the silliness of society? One deals with fear and anxiety, another with how we connect.” And by stepping into the shoes of these characters that are addressing these questions, actors and audience alike are able to explore the questions themselves.
In addition to bringing up a variety of themes and introducing students to not one but four outstanding playwrights, this “Buffet” of performances has allowed more students to get involved in deeper ways. There aren’t just two or three stars – each play’s characters take their turns in the spotlight.
“We have about 25 kids involved now,” says Schulman, “and by production time it will be more like 35.”
As for production time, the students are looking forward to seeing all their work come together on stage.
“I can’t wait to see all the plays performed together,” says Goldstein. “And to see the audience’s reaction. It’s exciting.”
Pierson High School presents Le Buffet des Theâtres, a collection of one-act comedies on Thursday, November 18 at 7 p.m., Friday, November 19 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, November 20 at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 and available by contacting the school's main office at 725-5302.
