Still from the performance “The Weirdest Honeymoon Ever.” @SADIEFOXPHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY
Sarah Rolka, Asst. Features Editor
One Acts, a production presented by Manhattan University (MU) Players, developed solely by students each spring semester, made its return to the stage in Smith Auditorium last weekend. Each show, lasting only five to ten minutes, showcased Players’ talents and individual abilities as students in creating and running a cohesive show.
A production like this can highlight the range of actors that MU Players have in a “lower stakes” environment. Kevin Cullen, a senior English major and theatre minor, oversaw the production and commented on how a production like this is able to showcase those many different talents that students have when it comes to running One Acts.
“Something like One Acts allows for people to see that the people who aren’t cast in those [bigger] shows are also very talented performers,” Cullen said. “Sometimes it’s not a matter of ‘are they talented or not,’ sometimes you just have to pick somebody. Some talented people don’t get to be in a show, we try to avoid that for One Act.”
Each year, a new batch of directors, an overseer and actors come together to produce and run the show. Isabella Suero, a senior sociology major and music minor, directed “The Weirdest Honeymoon Ever” and acknowledged that while new people come into the production, the core values of it stay the same.
“I think even though the shows change and the actors may shift a little bit, I think the heart and soul of One Acts is almost always the same,” Suero said. “I’ve done one-acts three out of my four years here, and every year is the same amount of fun…I feel like the ‘feel’ of one-acts is almost always the same.”
Cullen agreed and additionally commented on how the spirit of One Acts encourages these changes from production to production while making sure everyone gets that fair chance with casting.
“Since I’ve been here, it’s been relatively the same in terms of the actual process,” Cullen said. “…With One Acts, there’s such an opportunity for a large cast, so I wanted to really encourage the variety in casting. I didn’t want anybody to be really “left behind” because I don’t think that’s in the spirit of One Acts.”
Colin O’Donnell, senior marketing major, was an actor in “The Love Guru and Looks Get in the Way” for this year’s One Acts performance. While this was his first One Acts, he spoke to The Quadrangle about how watching them in the past has been interesting to see how directors and actors interpret the script and vision differently.
Still from the performance “The Love Guru.” EILEEN HANNON / COURTESY
“This is my first year actually doing One Acts, but I’ve come to see the previous [shows]. And every year I think it’s really interesting because you get a new [overseer], a new director for each singular play. I think it’s really interesting to see how every single year, people interpret the script differently from others.”
For each production that MU Players hosts, various people involved with production will post Instagram “takeovers,”on the @muplayers page, showcasing their day-to-day and the behind-the-scenes, to get people excited to come. Suero commented on these takeovers and mentioned that it does give some “insight” to the process of putting on a show for Players.
“Seeing Players with the takeovers would make people want to definitely come and see the show, especially when we post little behind-the-scenes pictures,” Suero said.
This year’s performance of One Acts was well attended and had the audience cracking up and laughing throughout the show. Bianca Alonso, a freshman digital and media arts major, attended and gave her thoughts on the performance.
“I’m a spring transfer, so this was my first experience, first play, and I loved it,” Alonso said. “I will be coming back. If there’s another [show], I would gladly come again.”
In regard to what she might say to MU Players about this production, Alonso simply said to keep her in the loop for when the next performance will take place.
“Let me know when the next show is. This was amazing,” Alonso said. “I love theatre, I love this. I was a little scared because I’ve never experienced one of the shows here, but it was absolutely worth it, especially [for a late show].”