It’s that time of year again! Senior-One Acts are here, and all of the plays are directed and put on by Camas High School’s (CHS) star students. The directors this year are Aiden Shafiuzzman, Charlise Haagenson, Emma Sadewasser, and Siren Perger. The four performances will take place in the CHS theater on May 5, at 7 PM. 

The senior one-acts are primarily senior projects, but Emma Sadewasser’s act is purely for personal experience and learning.

“I’ve seen other people who I’ve looked up to write and direct their own shows, and I knew that I would do anything I could to direct one myself,” Sadewasser said.

The acts are quite different from the usual Fall plays or Spring musicals, as each act is approximately 10 minutes long and there are only about five students cast. 

Being an actor in a play compared to being the director is very different. Being the director requires quite a lot of leadership, patience, and organization. On the other hand, being an actor is much more exhausting. 

“You have a huge responsibility because the show relies on your leadership,” Perger said.

The hardest part for the directors was formulating what exactly they wanted to base their act on. Scheduling rehearsals was very draining as it takes a lot of coordination and planning to do all alone. That being said, working with the actors has been a very rewarding experience for the directors.

“I’ve had a lot of fun working with them, and I always leave rehearsals excited to come back the next day to work with them some more,” Sadewasser said. 

Having to accomplish many things at once with not a lot of time left can be challenging for the directors.

“I have a lot more respect for directors, I didn’t know it would be this hard. It’s applaudable what they have to do,” Haagenson said. 

The most difficult part is trying to bring all of their visions to the stage, ranging from designing sets to creating scripts or even just getting the lighting correct.

“You have to analyze the script and work really closely with the actors, and it can be tiring,” Shafiuzzman said. 

So much time and effort goes into these seniors’ one-acts to create a clean and presentable play for their audience. They hope to see you at their productions on May 5th, so come and support your CHS seniors’ last performances in the CHS theater, fully directed by them.