For weeks, Silverado students have practiced daily after school in preparation for the One-Acts. These short plays are led by student directors who are in charge of managing everything from the color of the lights to the way a line is said.
Silverado’s show consisted of three different acts, each with their own directors, actors and stories. “Clothes Minded,” a wholesome and hilarious story about racism wrapped in the metaphor of laundry, was directed by senior Lucas Lugo. “Waiting for the Bus,” a play about deep conversations and romantic turmoil of teenagers at the bus stop, was directed by senior Lydia Wellman. “Chairs,” a thriller about a deathly game of musical chairs, was co-directed by seniors Isabella Delgado and Patricia Balint.
“It’s my senior year, and seniors get to direct, and Patricia and I just wanted to co-direct and help each other out,” Delgado said. “And also I thought it would be fun to block everything and do the lights.”
The directors directed the techs in moving things on and off stage, opening and closing the curtain and doing various lighting effects and sound effects.
“Instead of managing yourself and keeping your own notes in mind, you are keeping everybody’s notes and managing everybody on the floor,” Lugo said. “It’s a lot more writing, coordinating and asking for everybody to listen.”
Each director is responsible for their show. They manage blocking, lighting and directing the actors to fulfill their visions of their plays. It’s an educational opportunity that teaches students professional skills.
“I learned to be organized. Communication [is important], especially with a big group of people getting them to do what you want to do,” Delgado said. “There’s a difference between being bossy and being in charge.”
In addition, the directors themselves are also acting in their plays, so they must remember their own lines and blocking as well as overseeing what everyone else is doing.
“I wanted to try my hand at leading an experience that got me into theatre in the first place,” Lugo said. “My previous directors were really proud of me for my first time, and now I want to show them how far I came.”
The people in the theater connected and friendships were forged as they worked together and acted together.
“There were times when we did goof off, but that helped us get comfortable with each other,” Delgado said.
After weeks of preparation, the casts performed their shows on Nov. 17-18.
“I think they went really well,” Delgado said. “Everyone knew their lines, their blocking, and techs did good too.”
The One-Acts were made possible by the efforts of many people working together to make something amazing.
“I’m really grateful for everyone who auditioned and were a part of it, and for the cast and crew, because without them we couldn’t have done anything,” Delgado said.
Silverado theater celebrates their successful shows and hopes to do a musical in the spring.
“For how our program is currently running, [it went] really well,” Lugo said. “We refuse to let any setbacks stop us from achieving less than last year.”
