King’s College to present Student One-Act Festival

Two students were moving a refrigerator across the stage at King’s College late Monday afternoon and a third was quietly sewing a stuffed animal to what looked like a mop handle when a siren’s loud wail pierced the atmosphere.

But nothing was amiss. Students in Jahmeel Powers’ directing class were simply working on props and testing sound effects for the short plays to be presented April 18 through 21 in the Student One-Act Festival at King’s College.

“They’re learning the technique and craft of directing,” Powers said, comparing that job to captain of a ship, “steering with a vision specific enough to stay on course but being open to ideas” from the cast and crew.

Student Zaire Johnson said she’s finding her role as a director rewarding “because everyone is so good at what they do. I just have to give them their ‘intention’ and they do it beautifully.”

The festival includes a variety of original one-acts, among them:

•“A Death in the Family,” which several students described as a comedy with a touch of the absurd, with Finch Plaspohl comparing it to the television sit-coms “Friends” or “Seinfeld.”

• “This is Not Writer’s Block,” which playwright Jason Victoria penned from the viewpoint of a student frustrated by his own procrastination.

• “A Lovely Knight,” which director Jennifer Kraengel described as a fantasy involving a librarian falling for a knight from a medieval kingdom. “I would call it more light-hearted,” she said.

• “No Thought, Head Empty,” which writer Anarose Davidson described as “Fleabag meets The Three Stooges,” referring to a British Netflix comedy and an American trio of vintage slapstick artists. The play includes personifications of the main characters’ thoughts, Davidson said, describing one facet as “childish and impulsive,” a second as representing “pride and sexuality” and the third as “more mature.”

“When I read it I wanted to play all the parts. When that happens it’s a sign you want to direct,” said adjunct faculty member Beth Powers, who stepped in to direct “No Thought, Head Empty” because more student writers than student directors were available.

• “A Test to Learn the Past,” in which a father and son interact. The son is about 20 years old, said student Kristopher Russin, who has that role, and the two characters “are distant.”

“It’s about one of the most important relationships a person can have,” said Zaire Johnson, who is directing that show.

• “18 Years.” This show deals with a woman who was unable to have a child until she made a pact with a demon. Her son is 18 now, and the demon is coming to collect. “It’s about familial love,” said director Anthony Abbott. “When you love someone, you would do anything for them.”

• “Jesters Court” is set in Scotland during the early 1400s, Kristopher Russin explained, and deals with love as well as with “power being given to the wrong person.” There are two jesters in the show. Are they the smartest people in the court? “One of them is,” Russin said with a mysterious smile.

• “Anything U Can Do.” “This is very much a play where two characters are foils of each other,” director Matt Carr said, explaining an assassin who is “very serious, clean, and professional” has the same assignment that a second, “silly, sloppy” assassin has — namely, to kill a third character. Who will emerge successful?

Writer Finch Plaspohl submitted four scripts to the festival and was a little surprised when “Anything U Can Do” was chosen, because writing it took “less than six hours, when I was a senior in high school.”

“I just brushed up the format a little,” Plaspohl said.

Performance dates for the Student One-Act Festival are 7:30 p.m. April 18, 19 and 20; and 2 p.m. April 20 and April 21 in the Maffei Theatre on King’s campus. A link to purchase tickets is available on the theatre department’s Facebook page.