Every spring, the Groton theatre department opens the stage to a collection of student-written and student-directed plays during the One Acts Festival. This year’s program consists of eight student-written plays crafted during the winter Playwriting elective, along with a Wayne and Shuster sketch and a student-led interpretation of a classic Chinese novel. 

To echo the brief yet punchy nature of the plays, I asked the directors and playwrights of this year’s One Acts Festival for ten-word sneak peeks of their ten-minute plays. 

Meeting the Patels, written by Maya Varkey ’22

Indian girl introduces white boyfriend to her family. Chaos ensues.

Re-Teachings, written by Jacinta Lopez ’22

Teacher. Senator. Political Accusations. How do guilt and history collide?

Say Goodnight, written by Creed Bellamy ’22

An epic face-off with the monster inside your closet.

Malsow’s Volcano, written by Amelia Lee ’22

Volcanologist and their intern. An ominous orifice. A lethal loneliness.

Story—Psalm, written by Rufus Knuppel ’22

Melanie: Lesbian. David: Man. Spirits, stories, a communion of passion.

In The Box, written by Allison Jiang ’22

Opening night: high school tech box… What could go wrong?

Don’t Go, written by Alex Kirchner ’22

Whether to stay or to go, that is the question.

Letters and Onwards, written by Julia Lin ’22

Friend group tries to connect and fight for med-leave student.

Rinse The Blood Off My Toga, written by Frank Shuster and Johnny Wayne, directed by Nadia Fourie ’22

Big Julie is dead! Who dunnit? Across Rome we go!

Journey To The West, directed and devised by One Acts student ensemble

Sixteen year pilgrimage. Highly anthropomorphic, highly allegorical, and highly adventurous.