The One Act Cast Party and Beyond

One of the pleasures of being involved with a theatre production is attending the much anticipated cast party that is held at the end, or near the end, of the production.  Not just an excuse to drink, a cast party is a celebration of all the hard work and effort that all the individuals involved have done to make a play possible and share congratulations for a successful run.  Cast parties are well earned and joyous occasions and the party for the 2013 One Acts was no exception.

  One act parties are usually the best for the same reasons that the One Acts themselves are so enjoyable.  A large group of people, many new or slightly involved with the theatre program with different interests, backgrounds, and talents, all coming together to collaborate on a common goal or in this case a common good time.  It's great to relax as a director with your cast over drinks and thank them for all their hard work and tell them how well they've grown and performed during the term.  The whole party is directors sharing their thoughts on other directors decisions, writers being acknowledged for their creations and input, and everyone from all the shows mingling and sharing laughs about their shows.  It's great. 

  But the party is also a time for reflection and also a look ahead for the theatre program.  Being one of the last events of the year, people reminiscence with friends about the shows that they have been a part of in the past year or years before and recall what made those shows so memorable.  Seniors who are graduating think about who will be left to be in the future productions and speculate what they'll be like.   Remaining veteran thespians ask new comers if they'll still be involved in the program and encourage them to participate. 

  In a way, the One Acts cast party is not just a celebration of the production itself, but of what the One Acts mean for the theatre program.  It's about students that have never been involved with theatre before discovering that they have the same passion for the art as students that have done it for years and how that collaboration and commitment makes the program better.  As one group of students leave to pursue their dreams, another group of students become involved and contribute their talents, personality and passion into the program.

 It's exciting to see this happen, and I'm happy that I get to be here for another year and work with that new group of students create the productions in the future.  Of course, what I'm really looking forward to is after the productions, where I will share a few shots of Jack Daniels with everyone at the cast parties.  It will be great.