STERLING – Sterling College Theatre has had the tradition of closing each theatre season with one-act plays directed by students in the Directing Class. This year there is something more in store – dance. The Evening of One-Act Plays and Dance will be beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday in Culbertson Auditorium on the college campus.
The evening entertainment will include four one-act plays directed by students in the Directing Class and six dances staged by students in the Choreography Class. This is a new class taught by Piper Harding in which students look at not just how to dance but how to choreograph a song within a musical or entertainment. This will be their final project. The student choreographers cast their dances just as the one-act directors cast their plays.
Two of the students who are directing one-acts are also choreographing numbers. Rachel Thomson, junior from Hutchinson, is staging “All That Jazz” from the musical Chicago and is directing a one-act drama entitled After the Battle. Thomson said of her play, “I chose this title because I love war stories, but don’t feel like the traumatic mental effects of war get talked about enough. In this script, we watch four men make incredibly irrational decisions and judgements that lead them from chaos to camaraderie in a matter of seconds.”
Josh Morris, also a junior from Hutchinson, is directing a play called “I Married Irene Because She Has Eyes Like Abraham Lincoln.” His dance number is “Welcome to Wonderland” from the musical Wonderland. Morris said, “I chose my play for its absurdist elements. When looking for a play, the title of this one caught my eye for fairly obvious reasons. A big twist near the end of the play finally sold me.”
Katie Lumbert, junior from Wichita, is staging the song “Coffee Break” from the musical “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.” Zeke Thomson, sophomore from Newton, is choreographing the song “A Little Upset” from the musical Cry Baby. Freshman Brayden Keeler from Nickerson is staging “Me Old Bamboo” from the show “Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang” while freshman from Hutchinson, Mary Little, is staging “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” made famous by Mary Martin and Marilyn Monroe.
Senior Jake Pieplow is also directing a one-act, entitled simply “Sleep.” It features a cast of four. He said, “I chose this play in order to showcase characterization and the acting ability of my cast. It’s a short but impactful piece about grief, guilt, and loss.”
Rounding out the one-act portion of the evening is “Women and Wallace” directed by junior from Wichita Emily Jones. The drama centers on a young man and his relationship with various women in his life and features a cast of seven.
The student directors for the one-acts are in the Directing Class taught by Sasha Hildebrand. She said, “One-acts provide great opportunities for our students to get experience working with a cast and analyzing a script. This year’s group leans definitely in the dramatic side. The dances will provide nice contrast and make for a really good night of entertainment.”
The theatre awards for the year will also be presented that night. The Evening of One-Acts and Dances is open to the public. No admission will be charged.
