For almost a decade Three Penny One-Acts have been a featured performance by the theatre department. One-acts are short, one-scene plays put on by the third and fourth year acting students and the second year technical theatre students. The production of one-acts begins soon after the end of the fall play and continues until the first week of December when they are performed.

“I’m excited because I get to try designing things,” said Alyssa Pagan, sophomore. “It’s interesting seeing the steps it takes to put together a regular show.”

One-acts normally involve all advanced tech students, but this year the second year tech students are doing all of the behind the scenes work. Everyone has a role; the tech students have the jobs of scenery, lights, and sound, while actors work on the rest such as movement, lines, and set design.

“I’m a director and it’s my job to select actors for certain roles, help them learn blocking and lines,” said Synthia Burgess, junior. “We come up with set design for the tech students.”

The directors and producers start off by receiving and reading a script and then talking with the actors who will star in their one-acts. The actors are given roles by the directors and producers and then rehearse until the night of their one-act performance. This year, however, will not include the help of third and fourth year technical theatre students as it has in the past. Instead third and fourth year students are helping in their classes where they can.

“I wish we were able to help but I’m excited to see what the second years are capable of,” said Isabella Ibarra, senior and fourth year technical theatre student.

People who come to the one-acts are only charged three pennies to get into the show. This has been a tradition to the theatre that the department takes as a donation so attendees are able to leave any amount of money to help the performing arts department. This tradition goes back to Shakespearian times. People would pay for standing room near the stage while people with more money would sit higher up. The tech theatre students decided to build the stage where actors would perform and the attendees would sit on the stage near where actors perform.

“In Shakespearean times people were charged three pennies when sitting close to the stage which is similar to how we built a stage on a stage and people sit in front of it,” said Mrs. Melissa Wolf, acting teacher.