By: Erin Moore

This winter, Highland Park’s theatre club has been working tirelessly to put together five one act plays, to be performed one after another this coming weekend. Whether it be costumes, sets, props, lights, sound, mics, acting, stage managing, or our hard-working directors, lots of hours and effort have been put into these productions. 

If you’ve seen the signs up all throughout the hallways of  Highland Park Senior High, it’s likely you’re aware of the five winter one acts to be performed this coming weekend. “Call Me Stan,”  “Put a Ring On It,” “Clowns with Guns,” “Speed Date,” and “The Bifrost Incident.” Each one act is directed by our very own HPSH seniors including James Nins, Evan Nelson, Ryan Terry, Julia Williamson, Liv Knafla, Max Nutter, Bella Schmitt, and Spike McIlrath. 

The following synopses are spoiler-free and are from the HPSH Thespian Society Schoology group.

“’Call Me Stan’ [is] a dark comedy about parents meeting their daughter, Brittany’s, boyfriend, but something’s not quite right about him. He’s too old, too rich and even red!” 

“In ‘Put a Ring On It,’ Allison tests the limits of just how chaotic a family dinner can get as she is willing to do whatever it takes to get her boyfriend to propose to her.”

“’Clowns with Guns’ takes a theatrical and absurd look at the repeated and seemingly endless cycle of school [gun] violence. It happens, everyone is terribly upset, things continue on as normal, it happens again.” Note: due to the violent content of this one act, people are free to leave at intermission if the feel necessary.

“It’s Valentine’s Day and the pressure is on. Seventeen crazy characters search for love in a round-robin game of ‘Speed Date.’ Everyone’s in on the action: a hopeless people-pleaser, a Frenchman, a guy hung up on his previous girlfriends, an art therapist, a clown, and more. They’re desperate, chatty, needy, strange–and the clock is ticking. Will they find love before time runs out?”

“A mix of Greek tragedy and Norse mythology set in the far future, where the old gods and trains through space exist. ‘The Bifrost Incident’ is the story of the end of the world told by a criminal investigator slowly going mad from cosmic forces.” Note: this one act is not well suited for children, it is more PG-13 than G. Audience members may also leave at intermission if the choose

Tickets will cost $10 for adults and $5 for students. Cash, card, and check are accepted. Performances will be in the Highland Park auditorium on January 20th @ 7 and January 21st @ 2 & 7. Concessions will be available during intermission. 

If you’re interested in viewing these stories, want to come watch friends/family, or want to support the arts at Highland, be sure to come watch! 

For more information, visit @hptheatrearts on Instagram, look for the posters in the hallways, or ask anyone you know involved in the one acts.