Between the fall play and spring musical lies the Upper School One Act, a much anticipated part of Upper School theater.
The one act, a unique component of theater here at Providence Academy, remains unknown to many of the upper schoolers. Stage managers Sidney Kirchoff ‘18 and Essie Broich ‘18 explain exactly how the one act works. The rules of a one act differ from those of the play and musical.
Kirchhoff explained, “for the one act there can only be 20 people total, including cast and crew. This year we have about four actors total and the rest crew. It also has to be under 35 minutes, that’s the hard part.”
PA has met these criteria all the past performances of one acts. A challenge, because an entire play must condense into only one act, typical plays being three acts long. Kirchoff cites this as the most difficult part of putting on a one act.
“Time is definitely the trickiest part about a one act,” she explained. “You don’t have much time for transitions and set changes and you have to make sure it doesn’t go not even one minute over 35 minutes. If it does you are disqualified.”
This year, the Upper School performs “The Glass Menagerie”, a “classic play, set in the 1940’s about a family drama” according to Broich. She said that because of the play’s classic nature, “it has more meaning behind it.”
Kirchoff said, “the play this year is slightly dark, but I really like it.”
An exciting aspect of the one act is the competition it brings with it. Along with performances in front of family and students at PA, the one act enters into a competition with the Minnesota State High School League.
Broich explained, “for the competition, we basically take a play and shorten it and then perform it against five other schools.”
Last year, the Upper School one act “The Crucible” made it all the way to state. Hopefully “The Glass Menagerie” will do just as well.