The Woodside High School Drama program presented two one-act plays on November 22 and 23. The first play, “The Unbearable Liteness of Being Teen,” was a short piece discussing serious topics that most teens struggle with. The second play, “The Great Nursing Home Escape,” had a much lighter tone and followed a group of elderly people attempting an escape from their assisted-living facility.
“The Unbearable Liteness of Being Teen”
“The Unbearable Liteness of Being Teen” covered high school issues such as depression, the struggle to fit in, finding love, and bullying. Many students who came to the play were pleasantly surprised by the show’s first act, which was relatable yet at times comedic.
“I could connect it to my life because it was the life of a teen,” Mia Chu, a Woodside sophomore, said.
Three “nerdy” characters play video games in “The Unbearable Liteness of Being Teen.”
The first play consisted of many sporadic scenes and numerous monologues. The hard work that the actors put in to memorizing their lines did not go unnoticed.
“In the teen show, I was really proud of the boys who had monologues: Mason Hughes, Matt Bowen, Skyler Mallow, Noah Ren, and Markus Sujansky,” Hali Newman, a cast member, expressed. “Their monologues were all four to five paragraphs, and they had to stage it perfectly. Everything just looked so good.”
Still, although the play was well-presented, some audience members were confused by the transitional scenes scattered throughout.
“My least favorite part was between some of the scenes; there would be two girls speaking on the phone,” Lena McDonough, a Woodside senior, stated. “It was really repetitive and unnecessary.”
Actors who participated in the play saw this scene to be unnecessary as well.
“In certain shows, there will be transitional scenes,” Newman explained. “I feel like that was definitely one of those, but we didn’t have sets to move or anything in that time, so it was kind of just added in.”
Overall, though, the talented actors and the relatable plotline made “The Unbearable Liteness of Being Teen” a success.
“It turned out a lot better than we thought it was going to be,” Lexi Behrens, a Woodside senior and cast member, said.
“The Great Nursing Home Escape”
While the second play, “The Great Nursing Home Escape,” was less relatable to the audience of young teens, the spectacular acting and comedic plotline made it a hit.
The plot revolves around a group of seniors trying to escape from a nursing home after a new tenant moves in. As there were fewer actors in the second play, their individual talents were better highlighted.
“I really liked how each of the actors [was] really in tune with their character,” Woodside senior Chase Eavis explained. “Michael Sacco did a really good job portraying the British elderly man.”
Eavis wasn’t the only one to notice Sacco’s incredible performance.
“Two people that really stood out to me were Michael Sacco and Hazel Griffin,” added McDonough.
Through squinting, jittering, and other subtle mannerisms, the actors successfully conveyed their ages.
“I think the acting was really good,” Woodside junior Isobel Williams said. “The set and costumes just brought it to life.”
Although audience members enjoyed both acts of “A Night of Theatre,” the overall turnout was underwhelming.
“I think more people should have come,” Chu said. “[The actors] all worked really hard, and the play isn’t a super-advertised event.”
The set of “The Great Nursing Home Escape,” decorated to look like a room in an assisted-living facility, provided the backdrop for the entire one-act play.
