On February 17th and 18th of 2023, seniors of Warrenton High School directed One Acts for the drama department in a way to spread leadership roles to seniors of the department. A secondary goal of this yearly event is to give a feel for what the drama department will be like in the future compared to the prior year.

The first Senior-Directed One Act was “The First Date” written by Krysten Leigh Robinson and directed by Aaron Catron. “The First Date” is a story about a blind date where Brad (Noah Agler) goes to a restaurant with Delia (Olivia Nave), who happens to be a kleptomaniac. Kleptomania is an impulse control disorder that results in an irresistible urge to steal. The story starts out with the waiter, Jack (Dillion Payne), annoying Brad about ordering something as he butts into his personal life. Delia then shows up at the restaurant and starts to steal items from the table while Jack interrupts the couple constantly. Between Delia and Jack, Brad’s frustrations boil over as he loses his patience and shouts at them both, resulting in him getting kicked out of the restaurant.

This rom-com was funny and dramatic, Aaron Catron did an excellent job expressing his vision for this One-Act and making it enjoyable for all audience members to follow along.

The second One-Act was “Hotline” written by Cheryl Navo and directed by Dulci Rahn. “Hotline,” featuring Charlotte Sibert, Jeremiah Hunn, and Theo Dodson, is a hilarious dramedy where Janine gets frustrated with her husband and calls S.I.L.T., a swear hotline that helps its callers relieve frustrations via swearing. The operator, nearly finished with their training, attempts to help the caller alleviate her stress by trying to get her to swear; there’s just one little problem. . . Janine refuses to curse. The operator and caller converse until Janine comes up with a conclusion about her situation, she must kill her husband. 

Although the play is focused on foul language, not a single swear word appears making it perfectly appropriate for all audiences. Dulci Rahn’s vision for the One-Act was executed perfectly in the hilarious showing.

The third One-Act was “Air Raid” Written by Liz Dobson and directed by Owen Flores. “Air Raid” features Mason Rushing, Sophia Jamison, Karli Wilkerson, Conner Patterson, Isabella Hammerschmidt, and Bella Kurtz. The scene is about life in London during World War II as the group converses in a bunker sharing stories about their lives before and during the war.

While the showing itself was not bad, the way it was written made it very hard to understand what was going on. The historical accuracy on the other hand was very good and made history lovers like myself enjoy it. Owen Flores did an amazing job working to simplify the show to make it enjoyable for the audience while keeping the historical side of the showing accurate. 

The last performance was “Stalking the Beatles” written by Maureen Brady Johnson and directed by Reece Bailey. “Stalking the Beatles” featuring Dayne Logan-Blattner, Alexandra Chandler, Madee Hill, and, Alice Briggs, is a story about four teenage girls in an alley outside of a hotel where the Beatles are staying. The girls begin to fight over the pettiest of things and hilarity ensues soon after. 

This One Act was funny and entertaining, watching teenage girls fantasize about their celebrity crushes made this a relatable show for myself. Reece did an amazing job showcasing her vision for all to see.

The Senior Directed One-Acts are unique for a multitude of reasons, such as giving new people an into the drama club, and it gives seniors a chance to lead others. The One-Aacts can be described as a yearly passing of the torch moment for the drama troop.