“Eat My Shorts: A Theatrical Feast” is the year-end presentation by the Vashon High School (VHS) theater arts program slated for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the high school theater.
The performance will include a collection of short plays, with a couple of original plays by students and others by published playwrights. The class seniors will direct most of the plays, with each piece running between 5 and 15 minutes.
“It’s an evening of comedy, drama, romance, suspense, satire and general merriment,” said Stephen Floyd, VHS theater arts teacher. “The plays feature a satirical take on political campaign ads and Quentin Tarantino movies, a conflict between a lapdog and a bear, a couple stuck on a Ferris wheel, a psychic who knows his date is about to break up with him and much more.”
Senior Xavier Ajeto wrote and directed a play called, “All that Glitters Is not Bronze,” about a woman’s adventure in a mental hospital.
“Writing ‘All that Glitters’ was pretty difficult as I wrote it on a three-day deadline, so the show itself is pretty diverse and random in its display of characters and events that happen in its 10-minute duration,” Ajeto said.
Senior Eleanor Hughes chose to direct the play “Surprise,” which she fell in love with after hearing it read out loud in theater class.
“It is very clever and incredibly hilarious. Also, it presented a directing challenge because timing is a key part of the plot of the show. I couldn’t wait to get started on it,” she said.
Once she began, Hughes experienced her own set of surprises as a first-time director.
“I encountered a lot of unexpected things along the way,” she said. “I had to think about and plan a lot more in advance than I expected. You definitely can’t just wing it. You have to think about props, music and sound effects, where everyone should be on stage at every moment, lighting, how each actor should say every line, and what the set should look like. It’s a big job, but it is a very rewarding one. It is a very satisfying feeling to watch people execute something that you created on the stage.”
Hughes’ twin brother Issac echoed some of his sister’s new-found understanding, saying he “never quite realized how much you have to deal with when you are a director.” Both are veterans of the stage, having performed since they were quite young. Issac said he chose to direct “The Blizzard” because it is closer to horror than to comedy.
“I wanted to delve into something that involved fear as well as humor in order to find the connection between the two emotions,” he said. “There are more similarities between comedy and horror than we think.”
While looking ahead to the future, these thespians and newly-minted directors gave a final shout-out to their theatrical experiences working with Floyd.
“Next year, I am going to college as an undeclared major,” Eleanor said. “I may end up doing theater, and I also may end up doing something completely different. However, I have absolutely loved this experience with directing, and I hope to do it again at some point.”
“I don’t really plan on going into play-writing or directing later in life,” Ajeto said, “but I’ve found it to be a good experience to have the perspective of what it’s like to produce a show from the other side of the stage.”
“At my college there are a bunch of opportunities to write and direct plays, so I could see (continuing),” Issac said. “I also want to thank Mr. Floyd for the past four years of theater at VHS. I have grown so much and am so proud of my experiences. This short play compilation is a great way to cap an amazing high school career.”
The evening is a fundraiser for the theater arts program. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged.
