South County Theatre to Present Student Directed One-Acts, 1/22-24

South County Theatre is presenting its three nights of one-acts, from January 22nd-24th at 7 PM in the school auditorium. Two plays will be performed each night, with a total of six plays.

Student directors and one-acts include:

Thursday includes The 9 Worst Breakups of All Time by Ian McWethy, directed by Aaron Lichstrahl and The Staggering Heartbreak of Jasmine Merriwether, directed by Becca Symmes, Maya Armstrong, and Kelsey Astrow.

Friday one-acts include The Search For Cindy by Tim Kochenderfer, directed by Kyle McKnight and Ethan Schulze and Selfie by Bradley Heyward, directed by Alison Sall and Samantha Sharrett.

Saturday one-acts conclude with A Stye of the Eye by Christopher Durang, directed by T.J. Gouterman and The Zoo Story by Edward Albee, directed by theatre teacher Kathie McCormally.

The directors have invested a lot of time to put on these shows, learning a lot from a different perspective. "It's a unique experience to be able to have the perspective that my teacher, Ms. Kathie McCormally, regularly deals with," said senior T.J. Gouterman. "I enjoy working with my cast to improve them as actors, and the payoff is fantastic."

"It's been challenging, being in the director's footsteps in much different, having to make decisions and get everything ready," senior Aaron Lichstrahl said. "It takes a lot more time than I expect."

Although regarded as a fun experience, the directors have faced hurdles that they forced to overcome. "Getting people together was very hard, and it's challenging when everyone had conflicting schedules," replied juniors Schulze and McKnight. "Snow days and the cancellation of after school activities made finding rehearsal time difficult."

Senior Maya Armstrong commented, "It has been challenging directing students who have never done theatre before, because I saw them have the same challenges I had at the beginning. It was difficult because at the same time, the expectations were high for them. Fortunately, they have risen to the occasion and I believe they will do a great job."

Although the process may be difficult, the payoff was great and it made for great experiences. "Working with some of the younger students because this is one of the first opportunity to get to know them," responded junior Sam Sharrett. I also love the fact that I can see the growth from the audition process to when the cast is ready to perform. It's amazing how different the two are and it's great to watch."

One-night tickets are $5, and multi-night tickets are $10. All tickets are available at the door.

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