Audrey Douglas ‘22
Why did you sign up to write One Acts?
I am interested in maybe writing and directing when I’m older. I love writing and I’ve always liked storytelling, so it just sort of made sense for me in a lot of ways. I also love theater and it is something that has been consistent for me throughout my time at Urban. The first show I did at Urban was the One Acts my freshman year, and I decided then I wanted to [write one]. I actually started writing [my One Act script] sophomore year—not a lot, but I had the idea.

Can you give a brief synopsis of your play?
My play is a murder mystery about a man that has been killed in the back room of a fancy auction. It’s set in the ‘30s/‘40s and [the characters] try to figure out what happened. I really like locked-room mysteries. There is a lot of talking.

What was an idea you heavily considered but didn’t end up pursuing?
I thought about trying to do a Sci-fi spoof because sci-fi is a thing in my family; I think my mom would disown me if I didn’t like it. So I’ve read a lot of sci-fi in my life and it’s a genre I really enjoy. I knew I wanted to do something “genre-y” because I just think that’s fun.

If you could describe your show in one word what would it be?
Screwball

Nick Sheppard ‘22

Why did you sign up to write One Acts?
I signed up [to act in the One Acts] freshman year back when it was still in person, so, at that point, it was another way for people who are not super invested in the drama/theater/music department to try stuff out and meet people from different grades. It was a positive experience so I kind of wanted to flip the script a bit, no pun intended.

Can you give a brief synopsis of your play?
(it is a surprise!)

What was an idea you heavily considered but didn’t end up pursuing?
Back in the day I had a Youtube Studio C phase and so I thought about a lot of stuff from there, like tongue twisters and plots that contained a lot of puns, but then I eventually decided on my own original idea, which I won’t spoil.

What should we be looking forward to?
Something to look forward to is the diversity of the One Acts. None of them are one-dimensional; there is a lot that will appeal to all audiences at Urban.

If you could describe your show in one word what would it be?
Unorthodox

Orrie Rindal ‘22

Why did you sign up to write One Acts?
I really liked [acting in the] One Acts my freshman year because it was my first opportunity to really engage with the Urban theater department. I think it is a fun way for different grades to interact, and I really like creative writing so I thought it would be fun to write a One Act.

Can you give a brief synopsis of your play?
A group of theater kids are putting on their theater teacher’s original musical called “Sports the Musical,” and they get the basketball boys to audition in hopes of making the theater department more popular and getting more traction and money.

How did you come up with your idea?
My idea in part was that I thought it would be funny to title my One Act “Hi I’m Kurt Hummel and I Will Be Auditioning for the Role of Kicker.” So I knew I wanted to do something about sports versus theater. Then through thinking of that title, I thought of the idea to create a high school theater group doing “Sports the Musical” and it just evolved from there.

If you could describe your show in one word what would it be?
Sparkly

Sophia Gibson ‘22

Why did you sign up to write One Acts?
It’s just something I didn’t know if I would have the opportunity to do again after Urban because I’m not looking to go into the arts in college. It just seemed like something different to try out in a relatively low-stakes environment.

Can you give a brief synopsis of your play?
More or less it is about computers.

What was an idea you heavily considered but didn’t end up pursuing?
I really wanted to do something centered around the tech office because [Urban is] one of the few schools where everyone gets a computer. That was one of the things that I wouldn’t say drew me to Urban, but I was like “OMG, that’s so cool! Everyone gets a Mac!” Especially with online school and everything being on the computers, I felt like [all of us having the same computers] really contributed to equity. So I knew I wanted to [write my One Act] about that, but I didn’t know I wanted to do it from the perspective of the computer.

What should we be looking forward to?
There is going to be a Seth voice-over.

If you could describe your show in one word what would it be?
Weird

Bluma Lezak ‘22
Why did you sign up to write One Acts?
I have wanted to write a One Act ever since I was a freshman; I love the idea of creating my own show from the ground. The culture of Urban One Acts is so casual and fun, but also provides awesome opportunities for collaboration and creating art with your friends.

Can you give a brief synopsis of your play?
My play takes place 30 minutes before a play is about to start in a high school theater and a critic is coming to see their show. All of the actors are trying to figure out why their director has invited and hyped up this critic so much. Amidst all of this, there is a love triangle, friend drama, and some laughs. It’s my love letter to chaotic theater.

What was an idea you heavily considered but didn’t end up pursuing?
I had thoughts about writing a game show One Act but couldn’t find a compelling enough narrative arc that could last beyond a sketch length.

If you could describe your show in one word what would it be?
Chaotic

Maddie Thorpe ‘22
Why did you sign up to write One Acts?
I’ve been interested in theater for a long time. I wanted to learn about it from a writing and directing perspective because I am used to [the] acting [side of things].

Can you give a brief synopsis of your play?
Basically, it’s 11 o’clock at night at a 1950s-themed diner inspired by Mels, and a herd of high school theater kids come in. It’s about their interactions with the two people working there. The theater kids have their drama and the two people working there are trying to manage all of the kids and eventually they come to some sort of understanding. It’s kind of about the chaos it takes to get to that point.

What was an idea you heavily considered but didn’t end up pursuing?
[I considered] either a sitcom or some kind of dysfunctional family thing, but the twist is that they were in an Ikea.

What has been the most challenging part of writing a one act?
I think [the most challenging part of writing a One Act was] trying to make the characters real; trying to make them have nuance and depth and make them seem like real people and make you want to root for them.

If you could describe your show in one word what would it be?
Dynamic