Lights flash. Theater will perform a cut version of “Kodachrome” by Adam Szymkowicz, a play inspired by the last color slide film processed in the world, for their UIL One-Act Play show. Senior Zoe Narvarte was cast for the role as photographer for the show.
“Just like any competition, we’re pushing each other to be our best and make it to our goal, which for one act can be advancing to the next competition,” Narvarte said, “but my biggest goal is always to create a story with real, honest characters that the audience can see themselves in. Theatre is an art that mimics life.”
One-Act Play is a theater competition show with several guidelines and rules – the show cannot be shorter than 17 minutes, not longer than 40 minutes, only 50 light looks may be used and actors’ lines must match what’s written in the script. Theater Director Jeremy Ferman picked this show despite doing it in previous years when it was cut short because of COVID.
“The change of rules regarding lighting was a scare at first because in a normal show we have more than 100 cues,” stage manager Emily Keating said. “With the limit, we had to rethink entrances and exits as well as the physical set. We pulled the entire set as far downstage as possible to minimize the usage of upstage lights.”
Ferman held auditions for the show in the PAC on Dec. 15, from 3-6 p.m., and posted the cast list Dec. 18.
“The hardest part about one act is that you cannot have more than 20 cast and crew members and four alternates,” Keating said. “These numbers are very small, especially for an ensemble show, so even picking the show can be difficult.”
The district competition will be at Legacy on March 5, and the top three shows for the district will advance to bi-district.
Narvarte has two littles for the show, sophomores Olivia Butler and Isabella Williams. The tradition of bigs and littles helped the cast of the show connect and support each other. The littles revealed themselves to their bigs through clues at one of the first rehearsals.
“Competition shows can be tricky and it can be very valuable to have someone who’s done it before there to help,” Narvarte said. “We love doing buddy systems like this in our department because it builds bonds more than anything.”
Bigs made sure their littles could perform at their fullest potential throughout the One-Act Play season. Narvarte pushed herself to be the best big because of the impact her previous bigs made on her.
“When I was a little, my big was like a big sister to me,” Narvarte said. “She gave me words of advice when I was insecure about my acting, she pushed me through the tiring rehearsals, she believed in me when it was hard to believe in myself, she hugged me when we were getting ready to go on and she held my hand when we got the disappointing new that we would not be advancing. These moments can change people’s lives. I’m just glad that I get to carry that experience into this show for my littles.”
