2021 Spring One Acts - The Meta Plays by Andrew Bliss

The WG Drama Department reached out to playwright Andrew Bliss and with his approval we produced a festival of all 8 Meta Plays. All of the one acts were assigned to a student director. One was directed by Mr. Schaefer. All of the actors were students, eager to do some theater.

The plays are all about doing theater, watching theater, making theater and being aware the whole time that it is happening...in a theater. We thank the great Mr. Bliss for this amazing opportunity and the freedoms we needed to offer our audiences some theater in a pandemic.

We would also like to thank Mr. Johnson and the ECHO for all of their coverage and press on the show. The web news bites and article in the paper really helped get the word out that we had a show and needed an audience. 

(Pictured: Amelia Griesedieck - Senior '21 showing of one of the rehearsal puppets the actors were using to get their puppet skills perfected. 

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WATCH THE SHOWS HERE!!!

The LINK to the YOUTUBE Video of all 8 plays 

Performed in the Jerry R Knight Auditorium.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqfnb5hFKf4&t=13s

*With full support from the playwright

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THE BEGINNING...

All of the directors came in and received their scripts. We held a round of quick auditions for all of the plays. There was a great turn out and the directors all cast their shows. It was a nice return to a little bit of normal. The best part was having a small buzz back in the department, and seeing (masked) faces in the spaces.

We did open up the spaces in the department for rehearsal space after school and the directors brought their casts in to work on the plays.

Adreonna Grant was the PR Designer for the show 

and her design was used on the T-shirt, the program and the poster.

THE PUPPETS

We started the preparations by running a puppet workshop. About 7 students stayed after school one afternoon and learned how to assemble a "Muppet-style" puppet. This involved patterning, sewing on the machines, hot glue, all sorts of supplies to dress each puppet. Each student completed a puppet  in that workshop. 

Stephanie was the first puppet to be created.

She was made by Cat Draney in the puppet workshop. 

When she was put in the show she was dressed up even further.

Maya Murray was the puppeteer for Stephanie the puppet.

Cat worked on many of the puppets. The details were the best part. We created the puppets in out design room. Mr Schaefer worked on many of the puppets. Ms. Pettey also helped when we got into crunch time. Its was a puppet factory!

The final puppets made a great cast for the evening of plays.

Some ended up really looking like the actor who was voicing it...

Each puppet had a full outfit and a stick on one arm to help them gesture

THE SHOW

Due to COVID and the need to mask actors and audience, we decided right off the bat to make one (or two) characters in each one act a puppet. This would allow one character to be unmasked. We also decided to mic each actor when our floor mics and choir mics just didn't amplify the actors with their masks muting their volume significantly. 

Calvin Lescher with his puppet the night of the show.

The puppeteers all wore some sort of black outfit to help themselves disappear in the scene.

Aidan Owens mastered the style with a lot of work with his fellow actor and his director.

In the end his puppet came to life!

The Bailey sisters, Mark Ellsworth and Gabe Dooley all hanging out 

before the show started; in the Black Box.

Willow Sinclair got to play in the costume stock to find the right dress for the character...

but that's a lot of trips to the dressing room.

Thomas Kessler and Amelia Griesedieck played brother and sister 

and their puppets definitely looked liked they were related.

The Drama Room became the green room before the show and each cast tried to stay focused as they waited to go on. 

 

                                                The Directors and their Cast:

Luca Giordano - Filler

starring.....Catalina Draney and Ezekiel La Mantia 

Amelia Griesedieck - A Skewed Picture 

starring.....Amelia Griesedieck and Sophia Wilson 

(shout out to Jacey Van Lueven for going through the rehearsal process with us!)

Jaden Fields - A Flawed Character

starring.....Calvin Lescher and Alex Bahr

Ada Foley - The Craft

starring.....Aidan Owens and Willow Sinclair 

Zeke La Mantia - What's the Meta?

starring.....Amelia Griesedieck and Sophia Wilson

Cat Draney - A Rebel Among the Wretched

starring.....Amelia Griesedieck and Sophia Wilson

Thomas "TK" Kessler - Tacked On Ending

starring.....Amelia Griesedieck and Sophia Wilson

Mr. Schaefer - The Curious Art of Critique

The TECHNICIANS

Rosa Schnell - Master of Ceremonies

Gabe Dooley - Light Board Op

Mr Schaefer - Sound Board

Sisi Desuza - Assistant Sound Op/ House manager

Sarah Bailey and Millie Thum - Running Crew

Caroline Bailey - Spot light

Calvin Lescher and Alex Bahr

Cat Draney and Zeke La Mantia 

Mark Ellsworth and Letta Thompson

Maya Murray and Zoie Sellers

 

Sophia Wilson and Amelia Griesedieck

TK , Jaden Fields and Amelia Griesedieck

Willow Sinclair and Aidan Owens

Xavier Jurotich, Cate Curtis and Maya Murray

Listen to Jaden 

and 

GO SEE A PLAY!!!

Ada thanking the audience for coming, Rosa Schnell (to her left with the long red hair) was our MCEE for the evening and introduced all of the plays. 

We were so happy with all of the work each cast and director put into the festival. 

Thanks All Folks!