The curtain rises, revealing a stage bathed in light from the spotlight above. The actors look out across the audience in a split second of silence, before beginning their masterful performances. The One Acts Festival is a student-written, produced, and performed theater show featuring three distinct stories. Running from May 8-9 and 12-16th at 7:00 pm in the Black box theater, One Acts encapsulates slice of life stories in the engaging medium of theater.
The first show, “One Last Quest”, follows Mary, a college-bound senior and her younger sister Alice as they follow a quest they made as children as one last adventure together. As they explore their hometown, they learn new things about their relationship, as well as making new friendships along the way. This feel-good show perfectly encapsulates the feeling of a sibling leaving for college, with a fun and mysterious twist that brings everyone closer together.
The second show in this year’s One Act Festival is “Who’s Going to Write About Those Cowboys”, a touching story of mental health, community, and recovery. Junior Loretta Finholm, lead actress who plays Parker, explained, “[Parker] is struggling with a lot of mental health issues that resonate with a lot of the kids our show is made for.” She went on to say, “I think this show tells a great mental health story that I don’t think has been told before.” The show centers on the idea that mental health cannot be ‘fixed’, but something you can treat and learn to live with. Finholm continues, “This show means the world to me. I’ve put in so much effort, so much energy into this show. I almost cried the first time I read the script because I relate to Parker so much.” This deeply emotional tale hits home for many members of the IHS community, and attempts to let them know that they are not alone.
The final show, called “Parallel Lines”, follows Ivory, a 16 year old girl returning to her hometown from a year studying in Paris, as she tries to mend her friend group that has split while she was abroad. She must help her friends through drama, fights and dating issues to bring everyone back together again. The show features teenage drama, Parisian vibes and even a love square. Freshman Arwyn Wallis, the actress who plays Ivory, noted “We want the message to be that you don’t need a guy to make you happy,” she said, “All you really need is your friends.” This show will leave you laughing at the hilariously dramatic events onstage.
The IHS drama club encourages all Issaquah community members to attend a showing. For just $8 and twenty-one cents, anyone can buy a ticket to these fabulous shows. The One Acts Festival brings fun times, relatable stories, and emotional tales together to leave the audience ready for more.
