Forest Theatre will show one-act play series

Even with exams looming, student playwrights, directors and actors are still managing to find time and energy to prepare their work for “One-Act Plays in the Park,” a seven-play festival at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Forest Theatre.

This event will be presented by the Department of Dramatic Art Undergraduate Productions and Lab! Theatre. It is free and open to the public.

Zac Moon, literary manager of the DDA, said plans for the event did not evolve until halfway into the semester. The timing of the event, near exam time, has brought out student dedication, he said.

Once chosen for the festival, playwrights were left to fill the shoes of director or to appoint a director that would then cast actors. Moon said playwrights could have as much say in the production of their play as they wanted.

With graduation around the corner for playwright Lee Storrow, he said he hasn’t been involved with casting or attending rehearsals. Saturday’s rendition of his “Party of Six” will be a surprise for him, but he is not nervous.

“I gave them a really solid script, and I’m excited to see what they’re going to do with it,” he said. “It may be different than what I had imagined it, but that goes along with the artistic process.”

Pressed for time with upcoming exams, playwright Marionne Gapuz bravely stepped into the dual role of writer and director and was able to see her production from beginning to end.

“I’m glad that I’m able to see it through the whole process, but at the same time a director is able to bring a vision to your piece that you’d never seen before,” she said.

Other playwrights, like Colin Keil, relied on classroom relationships to aid him in choosing a director for his play. Director Jacob Williams first met Keil through a creative writing class.

Williams said it is their similar styles of humor that makes them a good duo.

“As a playwright, I’m honored to be in this,” Keil said. “A lot of the creativity comes from the ground-level, from the characters who interpret things their own way.”

Student-actress Erika Edwards walked out of her audition with not one but three roles for Saturday.

“It was a really nice surprise just because I was expecting as a freshman to have a smaller role in one of the plays,” she said. “It’s an interesting balance of characters.”

Moon said one-act festivals like this are a great way to get people together who have similar interests.

“Doing a one-act festival is a nice way of showcasing a lot of artists to show there is a community of playwrights trying to get exposure,” Moon said.



Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.