You stand on stage after the performance, glancing out at the cheering audience one last time before walking off stage. You’ve done this exact thing a million times before, but this time something’s different. Backstage, you congratulate the actors on their performance and repeat how proud you are, as a director, of how they did.
In any other Sion production, directors are adults with prior experience, typically performing arts teachers Elizabeth Mulkey and Maggie Killian. However, Night of One Acts is a chance for seniors involved in theater to try directing. Seniors Mel Laubscher and Elwyn Patterson are this year’s co-directors for Night of One Acts. They’ve both been in Sion productions before and are using their knowledge of theater gained from those experiences to help direct.
“It’s been a good experience to know what’s happening behind the scenes and on stage,” Laubscher said. “And knowing how I would be directed in a situation helps me help some of our underclassmen actors.”
Both Laubscher and Patterson have experience in theater, both on stage and behind the scenes on stage crew, as well as being involved in Drama Club.
“Being a drama club leader, both last year and this year, has helped prepare me,” Patterson said. “But it’s sort of a different skill set to acting because it’s about observing other people, coming up with blocking, casting, scheduling [and] organization. It’s a whole different skill set, but having that acting foundation is really necessary.”
Although both student directors have lots of experience in theater, directing is still new to them, and just like any new job there are bound to be some minor mistakes here and there.
“We are new at this, Mel and I, as student directors, so it turns out we had forgotten to cast some of the parts,” Patterson said. “It was fine, but that’s definitely a sort of ‘oopsies, we’re new at this,’ sort of moment.”
The production features a total of 12 cast members and consists of eight short scripts, so there is a lot for the directors to keep track of all at once.
“I feel like me and Elwyn felt kind of lost at first, and we were like, ‘Ah, how do we do this?’” Laubscher said. “It’s been an experience, and I’m really proud of the way that we’ve kind of whipped ourselves into shape, and kind of whipped the cast into shape. We can both see where it’s headed, and I think that is very significant.”
For the first time in a while, the production will only feature scripts written by Sion students or faculty. Many of the playwrights are also in the cast, so Laubscher and Patterson are able to easily consult them on how best to portray their artistic vision.
“It’s a lot easier to go to our student playwrights and be like, ‘So how did you envision this scene?’ rather than just making it up and winging it,” Laubscher said. “So we get to have a more hands-on rehearsal.”
One particular script, “That Which We Call a Rose” by junior Heidi Nance, is packed with symbolism and meaning. This posed a challenge when it came time to figure out blocking, or the positioning and movement of actors during a scene. Directors would often look to Nance to make sure their interpretation of the script was consistent with what she had envisioned.
“We’re only having the Montagues enter from stage right and the Capulets enter from stage left to symbolize that they are from separate factions that do not get along, and there are moments when Romeo and Juliet cross that divide,” Patterson said. “I’m so happy about it. I love symbolism and the staging is coming out so much better than expected.”
Nance also submitted a second original script, and her mother and Sion English teacher Chrissy Nance also contributed a script, which means almost 38% of this year’s production was written by the Nance family. In addition to the Nances, there are four other student writers and one other faculty writer, making a total of eight scripts.
“I feel like all of them have potential and are excellently written,” Laubscher said. “So I mean, I’m kind of just excited for the entire show.”
