Riverside’s Annual production of Short One Act plays has always been very exciting for the Riverside students, parents, and community. These small, one act plays have been produced and performed annually since 2011 by Riverside alumni. Time in and outside of class is spent working hard to produce the best plays possible.
Every year, Ms. Nicole Roberge requests some her past drama and acting students to help produce some short one act plays for the Acting 11/12 class of each year. Last year, River’s Edge Theatre produced “Marathon 33,” which was an amazing success and Riverside’s student directors and cast produced a fantastic festival.
This year, there will be three short plays, featuring a one act from Archbishop Carney Secondary directed by Charles Harris. Another is, “Wake up Call” directed by 2017 Riverside graduate Ryan Bowles. “H.R.” directed by 2017 Riverside graduates Abbey Macey and Maraya Franca. “The Hill: A Spoon River Adaptation” directed by Roberge; it is a raucous ghost story devised and performed by the Acting 11/12 class. “No Sweeter Thing” features a diverse and committed cast ready to take the stage. “I really love performing in the short shorts; it really allows me to express my passion through a whole different person,” said Tasos Karantais (Grade 12 Acting student featured in “No Sweeter Thing”). More exciting festivities will be taking place in between the performances such as live music by Riverside’s band, and raffles.
All the cast and crew’s hard work on these one act plays are preparing them for METFest on November 27. A district wide drama festival and competition that will be held at Charles Best Secondary School this year. Schools from all over the district perform their one acts, and the winning school gets to perform at Douglas College for the Provincial Festival. Hard work and dedication have gone in to making the festival possible. “One of the only challenges in being in the short shorts is the amount of work that goes into preparing, staying committed and making sure we put on the best show possible,” said Karantais.
The One Act Festival of Short Shorts will be performed on three different days this week starting November 22, 23, and 24 in Riverside’s cafeteria. Tickets are $5 at the door in cash only. Doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:00 and goes until 8:30. All proceeds go to the River’s Edge Theatre to raise money for future musicals and plays. Come out and support Riverside’s performing arts department!