One acts revolve around cars

Theater prepares for performance, competition

Abby Hickstein

This winter, students can experience humor and also learn from mistakes in the upcoming play “Marcus is Walking: Scenes from the Road,” according to director Jodi Hatzenbeller.

Hatzenbeller said the scenes in this year’s play take place inside of, or around, cars.

“It is a series of vignettes that take place in or around a car and explore themes of the journey,” Hatzenbeller said. “One, is a dad taking his son trick-or-treating. Another is a couple arguing over directions on the way to a potluck, another one is a couple who’s just been intimate in the backseat and now the guy is professing his love, so it is all different stories.”

Hatzenbeller said unlike plays performed in past years, this year’s one act consists of only one play instead of a variety of different ones put together.

“Usually when we do a one act, it is a larger show cut down into a smaller piece for competition,” Hatzenbeller said. “This play is about an hour long and we only take some of the scenes to competition. Other years, we do different one acts and pick one.”

Freshman Evelyn Nelson, who plays a young girl in a family of six, said the scenes divide up into different environments, each containing a moral involving the setting of a car.

“There is not a big plot in the story. There are just a bunch of different vignettes,” Nelson said.  “Just small scenes in a car and they all explain lessons you can learn in a car.”

Hatzenbeller said students should attend performances because the humorous show engages the audience.

“There are going to be moments of humor. There are a lot of relatable scenes because almost all of us have been in a car at some point in time, so you can relate to what people go through,” Hatzenbeller said. “It is going to be a fun experience to play comedy and drama because the scenes differ so much.”

Performances take place 7 p.m. Jan. 15 and 16 and 2 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Auditorium. Tickets cost $5 for students and seniors and $7 for adults.