Each year The Community School's Middle School Drama Club presents a selection of one-act plays under the guidance of teacher Joel Vilinsky.
On Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8 and 9, the club will present its sixth annual One Act Play Festival at the school in Sun Valley. This year, the evening of comedy takes the audience "Behind the Scenes," with several short, off-center skits about what happens when the public isn't looking. The plays will be directed by the students.
Directed by Hailey Zanes, "Stalag 69" is about what happens to a serious play set in a Nazi prison camp when things start to go wrong. As soon as the curtain opens, it quickly becomes apparent that the stage crew has installed the scenery upside down, creating pure chaos. The play was written by playwright Michael Green.
"Opening Night," directed by Chloe Jory, is about a playwright dealing with an unforgiving theater critic, something of which playwright Norm Foster undoubtedly had first-hand knowledge.
Ken Dashow's "Top of 16," directed by India Emerick, takes place during the rehearsal for a show in which the director departs suddenly, leaving the actors to sort themselves out.
Then, for anyone who loved the hugely popular Carol Burnett show of the 1970s, there will be two of her skits presented, including the beloved "As the Stomach Turns," directed by Bryce Ervin, and "Alice Portnoy and the Bank Robbers," directed by Melissa Becker. The two sketches, respectively, take a look at incompetent soap opera actors, and bank robbers who try to match wits with a Campfire Girl.
"Hold for Three," written by Sherry Kramer and directed by Emily Williams, is about the importance of friends.
Playwright David Ives is represented with "The Universal Language," directed by Kyla Jarett. The play is about a new code of speech that promises to unite humanity.
Finally, the evening will feature "Icebox," a student-written script by Maddie Caraluzzi, Sofia deWolfe, Aurora Stone and Katie Feldman, who also directs. The play exxamines a restaurant staff dealing with problems the night a food critic makes a visit.
'Behind the Scenes'
Show times are Saturday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. in The Community School Theater, in Sun Valley. Admission $5.
The Community School?s Middle School Drama Club will take the audience behind the scenes. Photo by David N. Seelig
