First off, let’s begin with a huge round of applause to the wonderful directors, assistant directors, and actors who managed to make Playworks 2023 as spectacular as it was!

Every year, the Directing 35 students take on the responsibility of choosing a one act play, casting student actors, and then directing them. Then, for a few select nights, the culmination of all this hard work is visible to the public, with the Playworks Festival! This year, the festival featured 16 one act plays ranging from 5-25 minutes in length.

This year, I had the pleasure of watching the closing night of Playworks (on May 19), featuring six fabulous one acts! In this review, I will be commenting on my top three favorite shows of the night.

My third favorite show of the night was Dorothy and Alice, written by Itmar Moses, directed by Maria Morin, and assistant directed by Ella Baker. In this fairytale crossover, Dorothy (played by Katy Hlus) and Alice (played by Nicole MacKenzie) meet at an elementary school playground, and discuss their lives with each other. Slowly, the audience realizes that each actress is describing the life of a fairytale character, and as the show goes on, Dorothy and Alice share their hopes and dreams with each other. From the memories of home packed lunches, to the teasing of boys, this adorable play, which brought to life the child in all of us, was a joy to watch. 

My second favorite show of the night was Firing Francine, written by Don Hannah, directed by Sam Michaelchuk, and assistant directed by Rionel De Mesa. A comedic spectacle, Firing Francine depicts Iris (played by Abigail Struthers) in her constant attempts to fire Francine (played by Ava Countryman). The show ends with Iris in Heaven, where God (played by Grace Rompfer) allows Iris one wish. However, Iris wishes too slowly, and ends up having to put up with an eternity in Hell with none other than Francine herself. This play was gloriously executed, from the comedic and expressive abilities (both physical and verbal) of Iris and Francine, but also with the excellent level of pacing, which must be attributed to the director himself. The show was an absolute pleasure to watch, and I wish I could see it all over again. Well done!

However, the gem of the night was none other than the closing show: Post-its (Notes on a Marriage). This show, written by Paul Dooley and Winnie Holzman, directed by Kaylin Playter, and assistant directed by Abby Witte was an emotional and heart-wrenching story, which brought the entire audience to tears. The actors, Sebastian Melo and Jovie Tejada, respectively play a husband and wife who communicate solely through post-it notes. The play spans over their entire marriage, and shows the ups and downs of a relationship that was captured solely on post-it notes. The play ends with the wife's death and the husband's mourning. This scene was expertly executed, with strong pacing and incredible emotive abilities, so much so that it managed to bring the audience to tears. A spectacular job by both the director and the actors in this show - it was a true pleasure to watch.