Highlighting Harriton Theater Company's Winter One Act Festival
By Benna Trachtenberg
On January 8th -11th, Harriton Theater Company hosted its annual Winter One Acts Festival, which featured six student-directed plays. Each play was directed by an HTC senior (or group of HTC seniors), two of which were student written and one which was student adapted. Each act was extremely unique in its plotline and style. Let's take a look at each production.
Bait and Tackle
Written and Directed by Henry Mccullough, Riley Wexler, and Emily Wright
"Bait and Tackle" focuses on Gwendolyn, a city girl who is sent upstate to work at her family friend's swap supplies shop. She is quickly kidnapped and taken into the deep swamp to work in an alternate universe. The remainder of the show highlights all of the interesting customers she meets and her struggle to return home.
Eye of the Beholder
Adapted and Directed by Iqra Ataf, Maren McDonnell and CJ Bowser
Ataf, McDonnell, and Bowser adapted "Eye of the Beholder" from a well-known episode of The Twilight Zone under the same name. The eerie show attacks the topic of beauty norms in society by focusing on Janet Tyler, a patient who has undergone numerous surgeries to achieve beauty, as it is perceived in this alternate universe.
Variations of the Death of Trotsky
Directed by Kristiana Filipov
Leon Trotsky, a famous political theorist and Soviet revolutionary died from a skull injury. Spanish communist, Ramon Mercader, smashed a mountain climber's ax into his skull. This show takes a serious yet comedic approach to the death of Trotsky, as he continuously relieves his death in disbelief.
Dinner With the MacGuffins
Directed by Julia Green
Beginning as a story about teenagers just trying to make out, "Dinner With the MacGuffins" excels beyond this by incorporating the common performance convention of "breaking the fourth wall," meaning they actively acknowledge the audience. This production is hilarious while also making you consider a deeper meaning.
I Think He Killed His Wife...
Written and Directed by Maxwell Leis
"I Think He Killed His Wife..." is a western-style comedy, starring an ignorant and hilarious crime-fighting team of two deputies and a sheriff. Although slightly unsettling, the show is speckled with cleverness as the team tries to solve a seemingly simple murder case.
Confession
Directed by Noah Shelanski
Confession stars Connor K, who wakes up confused in his high school conference room with his principal nearby. The show follows the interrogation of Connor as he is accused of mysterious crimes that he has no recollection of committing.
